The Future of the Past
by The-Shy-Quiet-One
Summary: What happens when you mix a giant time turner, a broken train, and a boy with a lightening bolt scar on his head? Some chaos, a few rather Maraudery pranks, and a whooooole lotta fun.
1. Of Fighting and Flowers

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling's characters, just borrowing them.

Read. Be happy.

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_**The Future of the Past.**_

**Chapter One. Of Fighting and Flowers.**

A pair of emerald, almond shaped eyes shone happily, hidden only slightly by locks of unruly jet-black hair. Harry Potter brushed his hair out of his eye as he dragged his trunk down the long corridor of the Hogwarts Express, ready to start his sixth year at the beloved school. Walking along behind him was one of his very best friends, Ron Weasley, and trailing along behind him was Ron's younger sister Ginny. The three had spent the last four weeks of their summer vacation being nearly inseparable. With Mr. Weasley always off at work, Bill and Charlie off in some other country, Percy still not getting along with his family, Fred and George usually at their shop, and Mrs. Weasley busy doing what seemed to be endless house work even though they did help her quite a bit, the three had been left to fend for themselves. They had used most of their free time to play Quidditch with apples in the orchard, and just laze about. Harry and Ron's other best friend, Hermione Granger, hadn't been able to join them as her parents quite missed having her around and decided they wanted her home for once.

"Harry! Ron! Ginny!" Speaking of the bushy brown haired girl, she was currently flying (not literally) down the corridor towards them, brushing past many an annoyed student, already clad in her school uniform and robes, a Prefects badge shining on her chest. "Sorry, oh… sorry…Sorry!" She paused for a moment to help what looked to be a first year up off the floor. She checked to make sure the small girl was all right before turning and throwing her arms around Harry who was closest. "Oh! It's so good to see you!" She let go of Harry and moved onto hugging Ron just as tightly, before ending with Ginny. "How were your summers?"

"Brilliant once Harry came." Ron said in response, smiling at her, his own Prefects badge still buried at the bottom of his trunk where Harry had watched him chuck it earlier that morning when they were doing a bit of last minute packing, having 'forgotten' to do so the night before.

"Would've been better with you there though…" Harry added, not wanting her to feel like she'd missed anything.

Ginny nodded, linking her arm with her friend. "How 'bout you?"

"Oh it was excellent. We went and stayed with my grandparents in York. Unfortunately, Grandmum only had cookbooks to read, and my parents wouldn't let me bring more than twelve of my books… I could tell you how to make black pudding six different ways… but other than that…" Hermione broke off suddenly, her gaze having found Ron's chest and noticed the lack of badge. "What did you do with it?"

Ron stared at her innocently. "With what?"

"You know what. Where's your badge? You know we're supposed to be wearing them in case any of the first years have questions and you have to wear it for the meeting."

"C'mon…" Harry gestured for Ginny to follow him, wanting to get away from the fight in the making. It was normal he supposed, but that didn't mean he wanted to get involved. Ginny smiled and went after him knowingly, leaving the two bickering teenagers behind them, neither seeming to have noticed the absence of their companions.

Harry led Ginny down the corridor quite a ways, peeking into compartments, searching for someplace to sit. When they came upon a compartment containing two others who had been to the Ministry with them last year, Harry went straight on in. Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood smiled at them.

"Gonna join us Ginny?" Neville asked. "There's plenty of room, Ron and Hermione'll be able to join us later." Ginny shook her head.

"I can't, I promised my friend Maria Jacobs I'd sit with her and everyone else this time. See you later at the feast." And with a very friendly smile, Ginny continued along the train, her red hair flowing out along behind her. She, of course, had other friends in her own year.

"So Harry, how was your summer?" Luna asked in that dreamy sounding voice she had, peeking over the top of the magazine her dad was editor for. Harry was glad to see that this time it wasn't upside-down.

"Alright. You?"

"Fantastic!" Luna set the Quibbler down for a moment. "Daddy and I went to Brazil to look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. He's got a friend there see, and he claimed to have seen one in his back yard! We didn't see it though, but it WAS there, it was!" Harry had to smile.

"That's great Luna. How about you Neville?"

"I got a new wand, and Gran keeps telling me she forgives me for breaking dad's." Neville grinned ever so slightly. "She's proud, says I'm finally living up to my parents. And my uncle gave me this…" He dug into his pocket and pulled out a long clear box that looked like it was made of plastic. Inside sat a plain white rose on a purple colored, flat velvet pillow. Noting Harry's raised eyebrow, he continued. "It's a friendship flower. It hasn't been fed the activation potion yet. See, you feed it the potion, and then give it to someone. Each petal then turns a different color, so it's all rainbowy, and as you get to be better friends with the person you gave it too, the colors get darker. It can't die unless the friendship does, then it turns black and wilts away. It's also good for letting you know if your friendship needs fixing, cause it'll turn completely green until it's fixed. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. I'm going to ask her if we can plant a bunch and hand them out around school to anyone who wants one. 'Course, they won't all be roses, even though this one is."

"Oh! That's really cool!" Luna's eyes shone brightly. Harry had to admit she was right. "But how will you plant more? Do you have seeds?" Neville shook his head.

"It takes about fifty years to get one flower out of a hundred seeds. But if you already have a flower, you simply just stick the stem in the ground and about a week later you'll have flowers and flowers for as far as the eye can see. Which is why I didn't plant it at home because they'd take over. You need a special type of fertilizer potion spray and I know Sprout has tons of it. Plus I only just got this one a few days ago, so if I planted it at home, I'd never see them pop out of the ground and they'd die away from not being picked before I got the chance too…"

"Well, it sounds brilliant Neville." Harry nodded. He was almost certain Sprout would be all for it. Neville wasn't the best in class, but he did have the biggest heart for Herbology out of all of them. It was his best class from what Harry knew.

After the discussion about the friendship flower, the compartment grew rather quiet, but it was a comfortable one. Luna took out a quill at one point and started doing some crossword puzzle in her father's magazine. Neville had replaced the box into his pocket and taken to reading their newest Herbology book for the school year. Harry was just about to ask him if it looked like the upcoming year was going to be harder than the last when Ron stomped into the compartment looking rather grumpy. He looked as though someone had forced him into his robes and also made him put on his Prefects badge. Which, Harry though, probably had occurred shortly after her and Ginny had left.

The red haired boy flopped down into the seat beside Harry just as Hermione walked in, her hair a bit more ruffled than usual. She sat down on the other side of Harry and tugged a book out of her bag, immersing herself in it. Unable to go without knowing, Harry asked a question he just knew he shouldn't.

"What happened?"

"SHE!" Ron leaned forward and gestured wildly at Hermione. "Opened my trunk, and attacked me with my robes! Then she stuck me with the sharp bit of this stupid badge!" he grabbed his Prefects badge off his chest and chucked it acrossed the compartment where it clanged against the wall right where Luna's head had just been. His ears went red. "Sorry Luna…"

"Ronald! You could have hurt her!" Hermione's book slammed shut and she set it down on the seat as she went to retrieve the badge that had fallen and stuck in the back of the seat on it's way down. Luna was hunched over, having ducked with the Quibbler over her head. She sat up as Hermione removed the badge from the seat.

"It's alright Hermione. I'm just glad he didn't throw it while I was writing… otherwise I wouldn't have seen it coming. Though, what a great story that would have been… You really shouldn't lose your temper, though Ron."

"Oh don't bother Luna, he won't listen. He never listens to me."

"Only because you're a bossy little know-it-all!" Harry decided it would be best to leave now while he could, before things got messy. He rose from his seat and left the compartment, Neville following. Luna, however, seemed to be enthralled with watching the current row between Ron and Hermione. She didn't have to put up with it every three days in the Gryffindor common room.

"Heya Harry! Neville!' Both Gryffindor boys looked down the corridor a ways to see one of their fellow sixth year Gryffindor's waving at them from the door of a compartment about three from their's. Dean Thomas grinned at them. "Ron and Hermione fighting again? We can hear someone shouting from here."

"Yeah, it's them. They've been going at it a while. Got room?" Harry asked hopefully, but Dean shook his head.

"We've got me, Seamus, Parvati, Padma, and Lavender, so unless someone wants to sit on the floor…"

"I'll sit on the floor." Neville states immediately, looking at Harry. The unruly haired one smiled and shook his head.

"No, you go ahead Neville, I've got to change into my robes anyway. Maybe they'll be done arguing by the time I get back." He shrugged and left Neville with the others, bidding the ones in the compartment hello, and then goodbye as he made his way to the bathroom at the very end of the train. It was small, big enough for one person. The train apparently didn't have any spell on it that he could see. He changed into his robes, taking his wand from his back jeans pocket and setting it into the special pocket made for it inside his robes. He shoved his clothes into his bag, put his glasses back on and left the small bathroom.

As he was passing by the very last two compartments on the end of the train, a loud bang and a burst of light erupted from the compartment to his right. He drew his wand. The sound could have been Exploding Snap cards, and the light might have been someone shooting off a spell, but he had looked into the compartment on his way by it the first time, and it had been void of any life. He'd made a note to return to it if Ron and Hermione hadn't stopped fighting by the time he got back to their compartment.

Clenching his jaw, his hand tight around his wand, ready to attack if he needed too, Harry slowly slid the compartment door open. Nothing jumped out at him. There was no sign of a spell anywhere in the compartment, it seemed perfectly normal. Maybe he'd been imagining things? Then he looked down and backed up a few steps.

Lying on the floor of the compartment were four bodies. By the looks of it, three boys and one girl, all of them unconscious. Stepping foreward again, Harry's eyes naturally fell onto the girl first. She stuck out among the boys. A. She was a girl. B. She was dressed in an emerald green corduroy skirt and a white spaghetti strapped top while the boys were in robes. C. She had dark red hair that kept drawing his eyes away from the bland interior of the compartment.

Not knowing what else to do Harry stepped forward into the compartment and kneeled down by the girl. She, and the boy closest her seemed to be in a much worse state of condition than the other two boys. Harry blinked and was about to roll her over from her side to her back when she let out a very small moan. Her eyes fluttered open and his widened in shock as he stared at her. Bright emerald green full of shock met bright emerald green full of pain and fear that changed to loathing for a split second before the girl gave a groan and her eyes fluttered closed again, clearly going back into her unconscious state.

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And there it is. I expect to have another chapter up very very soon. Now... go push the little button down there? Please?

Laters,

S.Q.O.


	2. Of Blinking and Happy Places

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling. Enough said.

Here we go the second chapter. Yay! Took a while to write, but here it is.

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The Future of the Past

Chapter Two. Of Blinking and Happy Places.

Harry blinked, staring down at the girl before he leaned over her and moved the boy next to her's robes away from his head to get a better look at him. Unruly jet-black hair, crooked and mangled wire framed glasses, a nose that was only slightly longer than his… Harry stared at the boys, no older than himself, and who looked like himself in so many ways. It scared him, and excited him beyond all measures he'd ever felt before. Rising her made his way over to the other two boys who laid strewn across the floor. Even standing he could see the darker haired one out of the two of them was very handsome and boyish, while the sandy brown haired one next to him had more of a mature look to him.

Harry looked back at the other boy and the girl. It couldn't be, he just couldn't believe it. If his assumptions were correct then they had been… they were…

"Merlin…" Harry spun around at the voice and then crashed down to his knees beside the sandy haired boy. He was stirring, breathing, and even muttering things under his breath incoherently. His eyes opened and Harry saw they were a familiar shade of brown. The boy stared at him for a moment before sitting up and holding a hand to his head. "Bugger, Prongs, my head feels as if someone's taken a mallet to it…" He blinked and then went to move his legs but stopped, hissing. "And I think something's happened to my ankle. Did you and Lily start dueling and get us caught in the crossfire again?" Harry stared at him and shook his head, not knowing if there really had been a duel or not. He watched the boy for a moment longer before he got his voice back.

"You… Are you alright?"

"Well beside my head and my ankle, I think I'm doing fairly well." The sandy haired on turned and spotted his handsome friend. "Oh dear, did Padfoot get caught up in the fight as well?" Harry gulped as the boy looked back at him and blinked.

"You… You're not Prongs…" The boy's eyes widened at this realization and he jerked about, looking behind him at the bodies of his two other friends lying there sprawled on the floor. Both of them were banged up pretty bad from what Harry could see from here.

"No." Harry shook his head. "You're Remus Lupin though… er… right?" The boy looked at Harry, his eyes narrowing a great deal.

"Who wants to know? What are you called?" Harry didn't know whether to tell him or not. Upon closer inspection of this Remus Lupin look alike though. He might be a Death Eater in disguise, but… how could someone disguise him or herself as a young Remus Lupin? Wouldn't they turn into the older one even if they drank Polyjuice potion with a hair in it from this boy? Harry was fairly certain they would… Hermione had explained it was something to do with DNA or whatever. Going by his gut instinct, Harry decided to trust that this boy really was a younger version of his old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"I'm Harry… Harry Potter."

"Potter? I don't remember James ever mentioning you."

"Well… no… he wouldn't've. You see, I don't… I don't exactly…"

"Harry! There you are! I've been looking everywhere." Harry had never been so pleased to see the appearance of his smartest best friend.

"Hermione! It's Lupin!" Harry rose from where he was kneeling and gestured frantically to the only other conscious occupant of the compartment. "And Sirius and… and…" He looked at the other two… his parents… his mum and dad… they were right there. Looking worse for wear but right there all the same.

"Oh my…" Hermione entered the compartment completely, looking around. She sat down at the heads of Lily and James and looked at them before looking at Harry in understanding. He could tell she didn't have any idea what was going on either. He, himself, was still trying to get over the shock of it all. The only memory he had of actually seeing his parents was in the photographs in his album. He'd never seen a young Lupin, and Sirius was just a tad bit younger than the photo of his parents' marriage, but it was still overwhelming. "Harry, we have to…" Hermione took out her wand and pointed it at James. "Ennervate." The Harry-look alike stirred and then let out a groan.

"Bloody hell…" Remus was up as much as he could and was trying to get to his best friend. He winced as he did so, obviously his ankle was still hurting him a good bit, but he didn't let it stop him. He had concern written all over his kind face, a sort of caring Harry had seen him use three years ago when teaching him how to make a Patronus.

"James? Are you alright?"

"Moooooooooonyyyyyyyy." James coughed, his hazel eyes blinking rapidly as he searched the compartment for his friend. His eyes dashed right over Harry, never saw Hermione, paused on Lily and then stopped completely on Remus. "My whole body Moony… Merlin's pants… I feel like I've… broken everything."

"Hermione, is there anything you can do for him?" Harry asked rather hopefully, knowing she had to have read something on healing at some point, even if it hadn't ever been assigned in school. Hermione biting her lip did nothing to raise his spirits though.

"I… there're medical potions in the Prefects compartment… in case anyone on the train gets sick. I'll go get them now." And she scurried off, out of the room. Harry knew if would take her at least ten minutes to get all the way to the other end of the train and find what they needed before she returned. In the mean time, Harry took to staring at his father and Lupin interacting.

"You'll be alright Prongs, we'll get you fixed up in no time at all." Said Lupin as he went about looking James over, checking every little bruise and wound he could find… and there were quite a lot of them. James just blinked at him and his eyes dashed back over to Lily.

"Evans…" He blinked again and then, with a loud yell of pain, he attempted to lift himself up.

"No, Prongs, lay down." Lupin pushed him back down onto the floor. "You'll hurt yourself worse if you…"

"Evans…" James tried to get up again, and again Lupin pushed him down, this time holding him there.

"I'll take care of Lily, you rest." He stated this firmly, his expression stern and unrelenting. When he let go of James, the boy stayed down, his hazel eyes fixated on the red head. Lupin looked over at Harry, untrusting written all over his face. But then he sighed and his expression softened quite a bit. "Harry, tend to Sirius would you?"

Harry nodded and made his way over to his to-be godfather. He stared at the boy before raising his wand. "Enervate." Sirius gave a slight twinge before his gray eyes opened and he stared up at Harry. He blinked and sat up without the slightest sound, looking around the compartment rather curiously. He then looked back at Harry and grinned brightly. Harry had to smile back. He had to admit, even though it was still very shocking, he was glad to see all four of them… alive. After Sirius's death last June at the Ministry, he'd been majorly out of it, but now, seeing him in the flesh as a boy who could be no more older than he… it made him happy.

"Hullo. Sirius Black, who're you?" Sirius asked curiously, looking down and examining his right arm that was currently rather badly bruised and at a very odd angle. He seemed not the least bit perturbed by it, as though he'd had a broken arm more than once before, which, thinking about how reckless he'd been when Harry had known him as an adult, was very likely.

"Harry." Harry replied, not mentioning his last name this time. He hoped Lupin had forgotten it, but knowing Lupin, he would probably remember it by heart for years to come… if there were years to come. "How old are you lot Sirius?"

"We're all sixteen, you?"

"Same." Though he was glad to see them, Harry was very curious as to what they were doing there, as they probably were as well. But before he could ask exactly what had happened to them, the sound of running footsteps and panting made him look up towards the open compartment door. Ron stood there, surveying the scene with wide blue eyes.

"Bloody hell! Hermione hasn't gone completely mad then? They're really… wow…" Ron entered the compartment all the way now, sitting down on one of the seats and staring at the three supposed to be dead, and one ex-professor on the floor.

"Yeah." Harry nodded and watched as Lupin waved his wand at his mother, muttering under his breath. She did not stir in the slightest like the boys had. Lupin stared down at her with a furrowed brow, as did the rest of the boys.

"I don't understand it… why isn't it working? It should have, it worked on Prongs and Padfoot. Oh Merlin, maybe she's…"

"No." Harry shook his head and left Sirius's side to join Lupin. "She looked at me… right after I came in… she woke up."

"But she might have… in the time that we've been busy with the others…"

"She's not dead Moony." James gasped out, his eyes fixated on the back of Lily's head. "Nor is she's uncon… unconscious. That's why the spell… it isn't working."

"Then what's she doing? Ignoring us?"

"No. Merlin Moony… she's in her happy place… you of all people… should know that." Lupin and even Sirius looked relieved while Harry and Ron just blinked and stared, wondering what the hell was going on. Upon seeing this, Lupin laughed and decided to explain.

"Lily goes into her happy place… as we call it… when she doesn't want to deal with pain, fear, annoyances… or Prongs."

"And there's only one way to break Evans out of her happy place without waiting for her to come back from it." added Sirius very happily. He looked around and then frowned. "Moooooooonyyyyyyyyy I can't fiiiiiind it."

"Then we'll just have to wait." Lupion sighed and leaned back on his heels. "Oh good!" He smiled, looking up at the door. "You've come back."

Hermione entered, carrying a armload of potion bottles that she haphazardly discarded right onto Ron's lap.

"Oi! Watch it!"

"Sorry." Hermione frowned and dug through the bottle, tossed a purple liquid filled on to Harry and then flopped down beside James, taking a red one. "Give yo-… Lily a capful of that. Mr… James, you need to drink some of this." Hermione poured the red liquid into the cap of it's clear flask. She looked at Sirius and then down at his arm. "Ron, there's a pink potion in there. Give Sirius some of that. And hurry, the Heads are already very curious as to where I've gone to with all these. I had to run and lose them. Best close and lock that door Harry, draw the curtains as well, we can't let anyone see them. It could cause chaos if they were to be recognized. Don't you dare spit that out!" James blinked, looking rather green in the face as he swallowed the potion she had just had to nearly force fed to him. "Lu- Remus. I'm afraid I don't quite know what the matter is with you just yet…"

"I'm fairly certain I've gone and broken my ankle, and my head feels like it's been cleaved in two. But that's about it. I would say the pink potion would do. Toss it here Padfoot." Sirius grinned and using his newly healed arm, tossed the flask of pink potion at Remus who caught it without a hitch. He poured himself a capful and downed it. He then watched as his ankle bent back into a normal looking position. "Ah, much better." He replaced the cap on the potion and jiggled his right foot. "Perfect. Not a single bit of pain.

Harry had tugged the compartment door closed, locked it tight and pulled the curtains right before there was the unmistakable sound of someone running into it, not having noticed it being closed apparently. Voices came from the corridor.

"I could've sworn I saw her go in there. But it's all locked up…"

"Well, we'll just have to unlock it then. Alohamora." The lock to the door clicked open. Harry clicked it again, locking the door right back up.

"Harry, your cloak." Hermione whispered as she rose and pushed Ron down so he was lying on the seat. Harry nodded as he locked the door again. He dug into his bag and tugged out his invisibility cloak. He always kept it on his person nowadays, even at the Dursleys he'd carried it around in his school back, the heat being too intense for him to fold it up and tuck it under his shirt. He threw it to the almost completely healed James who blinked when he caught it."

"Isn't this mine?"

"Just get yourselves under it!" Hermione moaned and jabbed her wand rather hard against Ron's cheek before muttering a simple spell. The red head boy's face was instantly green and Ron clutched at his stomach. The three Marauders scurried to gather on both sides of Lily, Remus and Sirius crouching, James sitting, having had to scoot over, his legs still not quite right as well as other bits of him. He tossed the cloak open and they all disappeared as though they were experts at using the cloak already… which they most likely were. "Ok Harry, let them in."

Harry nodded and let the door stay unlocked the fifth time the Heads tried to get it open. He flopped back onto the floor beside Hermione who had every single potion she'd swiped from the medical cupboard in the Heads' compartment in her lap. She was looking at them and looking at Ron, muttering to herself. The door to the compartment slid open and this year's Head Boy entered, followed by a couple of prefects… Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot of Hufflepuff.

"I told you…" Ernie was saying. "It's Hermione Granger, if she took all the potions then she must have a good reason too. Look, see!" He pointed at Ron who did indeed look very sick. The Head Boy stepped closer to them, getting dangerously close to the Marauders. The two Hufflepuffs frowned and left, not seeing any reason to stay.

"All right then, what seems to be the problem with Weasley, Granger?"

"He seems to be sick to his stomach. He was also ill last week, wasn't he Harry? Isn't that what you told me when he got like this?" Harry blinked, catching on right away.

"Yeah. He's been perfectly all right since then though, his mum gave him some sort of…" Harry glanced at the potions Hermione was fiddling with. She tapped her finger against a murky green colored one. "Disgusting looking green potion."

"Like this?" Hermione held up the little bottle.

"Yeah! That looks exactly like it. Doesn't it Ron?" The red headed boy nodded, still clutching at his stomach. Hermione poured a bit of the potion into the large cap of the bottle it was in and fed it to him. Almost instantly he turned his normal shade of pale and freckled, sitting up with a sigh.

"Well now that he's well again, would you kindly return the potions?" The Head Boy asked, holding out a bag for the bottle. Hermione nodded and slipped them gently into the bag, one by one. She was looking at them closely, Harry noticed. And he knew then, that any potion they might need to finish healing the others might be leaving them. There was nothing they could do though. When Hermione was all out the Head Boy shook his head. "There's still a few missing… There should be fifteen potions, I've only counted eleven."

"I only took what was in the cupboard. Someone else must have the others?"

"Yes… yes I suppose. Very well then. Remember, the next meeting's Sunday night, directly after dinner ends."

"Of course." Hermione nodded, smiling. The Head Boy turned to leave and suddenly stopped. He looked down, shook his head and continued on his way. Harry leapt up to close and lock the door behind him. He reached down and tugged his invisibility cloak out of seemingly thin air.

"You all right?" Harry blinked. Lily's eyes were wide open, James's hands on her mouth, Remus's wand pointed at James's hands and Sirius just looked highly amused. Remus put his wand away and James removed his hands. Lily blinked, looking as though she were in some sort of state of shock. "What happened?"

"Bugger stepped on her hand." James stated coldly, reaching down and pulling up the girl's left hand. It looked as though it had been crushed beneath something five times it's weight. Judging by the current bruising, it had been broken before it'd been stepped on, and the stepping on it had made it worse. "She came back from space about five seconds before he did it. Bad timing."

"I saved these. Figured we might need them…" Sirius added, holding up the red, pink, and purple potions from earlier.

"Hermione just about made me choke on this one." Said Ron as he held up a small vial of blue liquid.

"We need it to fix up Ha-… James and Lily." Hermione glared at him. "You're lucky I didn't shove it someplace else besides your mouth…"

"Merlin's… pants!!!" Everyone looked down as Harry's mother came out of her shock and started shaking. She winced as she tore her hand away from James. She held it out to Remus. "Fix it Remy…" Remus snatched the potions from Sirius, one by one, and gave Lily the purple and red before holding his hand out for the blue. Ron threw it to him.

"S'alright Lils, these'll make you better in no time flat." Remus smiled as he recapped the blue and handed it to James along with the purple. "You take these too. You've already had a non-diluted version of the pink, and the purple is something entirely different. If I'm guessing correctly… the pink takes away any possible concussion and broken bones, and other general things… The purple rids you of any internal stuff dealing with organs… the blue needs to follow the purple otherwise the work it's done won't stay, though the order you drink them doesn't matter, and the red is like the pink, only a lot stronger."

"Yes." Hermione nodded, confirming his guesses. Lily had sat up and was currently looking from James to Harry.

"Harry Potter. He's my dad." Harry stated, noticing. He didn't think it'd be a good idea for his mother to know she was his mother just yet. That would be awkward as she didn't seem to care for James at all. She hadn't until they were all in their seventh year at Hogwarts, as he had learned from Lupin last year.

"Really?" James blinked staring at him. "That's brilliant that is. Though I'm not quite sure I'd have named you Harry… maybe James Jr. You do look exactly like me. You… You lot aren't death Eaters are you? Trying to bamboozle us?"

"He does." Remus agreed. "I'm fairly certain they're not Death Eaters. They wouldn't have tried so hard to help us." Lily didn't seem very pleased with all of this, and she said so.

"Great, just what we need, another Potter. Bloody fantastic."

"Actually…" Harry sat down beside them all. "I'm more like my mum really. Lots of people say so… Well, both of you at least." He pointed at Sirius and Remus, unable to not smile.

"Who is your mum?" James sat up straighter, eyes shining and hopeful. No one missed the glance he made to the red headed girl.

"As if I'd marry you." Lily glared at him and leaned so her back was against the seat. She rested her head down on Remus's shoulder, hugging onto him about the chest. "That'd just be awful."

"I'm not telling you any more than I'm your son. You have to figure things out on your own from there."

"Anyways!" Remus hugged Lily back tightly, making Harry feel a bit awkward. Was there something between them that Lupin had never bothered to mention to him? "What year is it? We're from 1976."

Hermione seemed to agree that changing the subject as a good idea as she answered him. "1996. You've come forward about twenty years. If you're not Death Eaters."

"Hermione!"

"They could be. Prove it too us."

"Uh… alright then… My name is Remus John Lupin. I'm a half-blood and a…a… w-.werewolf." Hermione nodded.

"Sirius?"

"Sirius Black, member of the Black family, my mother's a freak, my dad's nuts, my brother's name is Regulus, I'm an unregistered animagus with the form of a dog… Oh crap, I wasn't supposed to tell you that last bit?"

"Great Sirius, just great." James moaned, flopping backwards onto the floor. "You might as well tell them I'm a stag too… unless Harry already knows that, being..?"

"Yeah. We already knew all that. And Peter's a rat." Ron nodded, grinning. "I don't think they're Death Eaters Hermione."

"No… They can't be. No one knew James was a stag except for the ones closest to him."

"Well, now that that's taken care of… I think we ought to alert Dumbledore we've had a mishap. He's still alive isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's Headmaster."

"Oh good!" Lily let go of Remus, smiling brightly. "I don't know exactly how we got here... anyone else?" The three boys shook their heads. "Well, I'm sure we'll remember eventually. In the mean time, let's just make the best of this." She and her flows seemed completely ok with the fact that they had been put in the wrong year somehow. It was as if they believed Dumbledore could fix anything and would do so as soon as he heard they were there. Harry hoped he could… though he also wanted to spend time with his parents, Sirius, and Remus before they went and left him. He couldn't take his eyes of Lily now that she was awake and very much alive. He wanted to be able to look at her forever and ever, never stop or be interrupted. He knew it could never be like that though. He was also trying to keep his eyes on James and Sirius, wanting to look at them for just as long. He had just spoken to Lupin last week, so he wasn't as keen to stare at him. He needed to look at the other three though. He just needed too. They were supposed to be dead, and yet they were. Speaking with them, smiling, alive. He wanted to relish it for as long as possible.

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I know, I know, the ending of it's a bit sucky, but I hope to make up for that as the story continues. I have a slight idea as to what is going to hapepn next, but don't expect another chappie for a few days at least. I'll try and get anothe rup as soon as is possible. In the mantime, that little button down there rather enjoys being pushed...

Laters,

S.Q.O.


	3. Of Snape and Shoes DH spoilers

Disclaimer: I do not, and shall not ever own any character or setting created by J.K. Rowling. Though that bit should be obvious by now.

**THERE ARE SOME DEATHLY HALLOW SPOILERS IN THIS ONE!** Please, please, please, don't kill me, I tried to warn you.

Ah! At last! It took me a while to get this chapter done. I think it;s quite silly compared to the last two, and probabley not as good as either of them either. But it's here after two and a half weeks of writer's block. And I'd just like to say, thank you for all the nice reviews. I'm glad you like it and I'll keep continuing it. And now, chapter three... enjoy!.

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**_The Future of the Past._**

**_Chapter Three. Of Snape and Shoes._**

**_(Again, some Deathly Hallow spoilers.)_**

"You know, you look very similar to Potter, but you seem much nicer than he is Harry."

Harry blinked and looked up from the bandaging he was currently wrapping around his mother's hand. Hermione had said they better do something for it, just as a precaution. The others' injuries that dealt with possible broken bones had been wrapped up was well with the white, gauzy material from Hermione's Muggle first aid kit. She'd returned with it after going to get some spare robes for Lily… from Ginny. From the few times Harry had seen her in the past, he would have never guessed his mum to be a good head and a bit shorter than him. Of course, he'd still been growing those two times, once with the Mirror of Erised, and once in the graveyard two years ago.

"Er… thanks, I guess." He finished wrapping, making sure the medical tape was tight and wouldn't come undone. He stared at her hand, admiring his bandaging job. He'd done better than Sirius who had woven the gauze around his arm in a rather haphazard manner earlier. Ron was still untangling him. Remus was all set with wrapping his ankle on his own and while Hermione was wrapping up James's head, he was doing the unruly haired boy's leg… There had been a lot of gauze in that first aid kit. "I think we should do your head as well…"

"If anyone's head needs doing it's Black's. Mine's fine."

"If you have a concussion and the potions don't hold out until we can get you lot up to the Hospital Wing…"

"They'll hold."

"But they might…"

"Harry, I know potions, alright. They'll hold. This bandaging is completely unnecessary… Speaking of which, is the Slug still teaching?" Harry blinked. He had absolutely no idea who she was talking about and apparently it showed on his face. "Oh. I suppose…. He was starting to get on. I guess he would have retired by now… So who teaches Potions then?"

"Snape." Upon this one simple word there was an outburst of noise from those seventies kids.

"Snivellus!?" James's eyes grew large and he stood up only to be pushed back by a frustrated Remus who got kicked in the jaw in the process.

"That greasy git's teaching potions!?" Sirius got himself all tangled up in the gauze again, just as Ron finished getting him free.

"…I suppose he did know his potions, but…" Remus rubbed his jaw, wincing as he spoke. "I swear Prongs, if you kick me again, I will curse you into being still for a very, very long time."

"Oh! Sev's teaching? That's fantastic!" Harry blinked, staring at Lily as she smiled in a very happy manner. He looked at Ron and Hermione and they seemed just as shocked as he was. James, however, had a disgusted look on his face, so did Sirius. Remus had just raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you'd ditched him last year Lils?"

"Oh! But don't you see Remus? If he's teaching at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore is still Headmaster, then it's highly probable that he didn't become a Death Eater! Oh, he listened, he must have listened! Something must have happened at some point to make him change his mind and ditch those horrid dark magic using Slytherins."

"Snivellus is one of those dark magic using Slytherins, Evans!"

"Shut it Potter, you know nothing about him!"

"Feeling defensive over you're boyfriend again Evans?"

"Potter! I've told you a thousand times! He's not my boyfriend, he's just my best friend!" It was like something had hit Harry repeatedly in his stomach. Snape was his mother's best friend? How could that be possible? He'd been told she was nice, but he'd never thought she'd be THAT nice… Nice enough to befriend a greasy haired, friendless Slytherin.

"He is a Death Eater." Harry felt guilty watching his mother's happy expression fall into a frown, her brow furrowing.

"He is? How do you know?"

"I've heard him talking to Dumbledore… And he's got the Dark Mark on his arm."

"You're kidding!"

"No, I'm not." Lily paled and her face found it's way into her hands as she leaned forward. Remus winced and rose from his seat across from them to sit down beside her. When she started rocking back and forth he hugged her to him.

"Sevvy, oh Sevvy, why?"

"Lils… Lily…"

"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

"Shush Lils, we all knew it'd happen."

"And Dumbledore knows? He knows, and he's still letting him be a teacher?"

"Yeah, well…. Dumbledore thinks he's changed his ways and is on our side."

"And is he?"

"Who knows." Harry shrugged, unable to answer her question. He never knew if Snape was good or bad, Dumbledore believed him good, but Harry hadn't any idea as to why he was. Snape hadn't proved himself in his eyes. And now hearing that he had wanted to be a Death Eater from Lily, well, it just made matters more confusing as to what was really going on in the whole idea of Snape being on the light side or the dark side.

Lily sighed and leaned up against Remus who patted her on the back and hugged her ever closer. The awkwardness that had come with finding out Snape had been her best friend, increased now as Harry wondered again, what was up between the werewolf and the flower. He looked at James, trying to see what he thought of it. James however didn't look as surprised as Harry felt, in fact, he was smiling in a slightly smug manner, as though the news that Snape had become a Death Eater as pre-assumed, has lightened his mood considerably. And even when he glanced up at Remus and Lily his smile didn't falter. It was as though the hug meant nothing to him, like it was something he was used too, as though he wasn't afraid of losing the girl he loved to one of his best mates.

"Cheer up Evans. You don't need Snivellus, you've got us."

"I don't want _you_, Potter!" Lily spat and glared down at him with such loathing it made Harry blink. Ron looked at him questioningly, as did Hermione. That was right… they hadn't been into Snape's memories, they didn't know…

"Aw, c'mon Evans, you know you love me!"

"I most certainly do not!

"Er… I'll be right back. I've got to go find Ginny and see if she has an extra pair of shoes you could borrow as well Lily… those broken flip flops won't be good in this weather… Not that you'd be able to wear them again anyway." The end of Harry's sentence was met with a loud booming roar of thunder as he pointed down at the discarded pile of torn up foam and plastic that used to be a pair of flip flops, but hadn't made it through whatever ordeal the four had gone through. There wa no way even a repairing spell would get them back into shape, they didn't even have all the pieces to them. In the past hour or so, a storm had picked up and it didn't seem as if it was going to blow over any time soon. The red headed girl nodded with a smile at him as he rose from the seat. Hermione got up as well.

"Well why the bloody hell not?!"

"I'll come with you Harry… It's unlikely that Ginny has an extra pair… but we can also ask around, I'm sure Lavender or Parvati will. What size are you Lily?

"Because! You're an egotistical… Five… no good for nothing, toerag who struts around like you own Hogwarts!" Hermione blinked as though the number shocked her slightly, though it was probably the fighting as well.

"Better yet, let's go talk to some of the younger girls… Fourth years I think… Or maybe third years, they're feet probably won't have stopped growing too much yet. Anybody else need anything?"

"Time to start learning some new comebacks Evans, your's are over used."

"Biscuits?" Sirius asked, his eyes lighting up as he rose from the floor, still tangled in the gauze. He tripped over it and landed with an 'oomph!' on James's lap. Remus sighed and dug into his pocket, pulling out a doggy bone shaped cookie. He tossed it as Sirius who caught it in his mouth and rolled to sit down beside James, munching away at it happily. " 'anks 'oony." Both Remus and Sirius seemed as unfazed to Lily and James's fighting as Harry was to Ron and Hermione's.

"They may be overused, but that doesn't make them any less true than they already are!"

"Food would be good." Remus stated, holding his stomach, his other arm still hugging Lily. "Unlike Sirius, we can't live off dog biscuits."

"Oh yeah? Well if those are true about me, then mine must be true about you!"

"Alright then… I'll find food." Ron stated, glad for a reason to be able to go with Harry and Hermione as well. He seemed ready to get away from the bickering pair.

"No they're not…" Lily's voice had gone from fire filled to small and weak, as though James had momentarily doused it with his words. Harry didn't want to stay and see what happened.

"Right then... off we go. You lot stay here, lock the door and don't let anyone in until we get back… here." He tossed Sirius his invisibility cloak. "Use it if anyone does come." Sirius saluted him, still munching away as his doggie cookie. The handsome boy rose and followed the trio to the door, sliding it shut behind them. A click told them that he had locked it. They looked at each other and then bolted down the hallway to the first empty compartment they could find, shutting and locking the door there.

"This is insane!" Ron stated, drawing the curtains close and flopping down on the nearest seat. He brought his legs up and leaned back against the wall. He took a chocolate bar from his pocket and broke it into three separate pieces, handing two of them to his best friends before they sat down.

"I know, but there's not much we can do until we get them to Dumbledore. He'll know exactly what to do, though… after we destroyed the entire supply of time turners back at the Ministry… I'm not so sure how he'll get them back to their own time, but he will." Hermione bit into her chocolate.

"What if he can't? What if it's impossible?" Harry frowned, playing with the bar in his hand. Usually it made him feel better… after third year with the dementors and the chocolate making the presence of them feel as though it had never happened, it had become sort of a comfort food for him, but it did nothing now when he chewed on the corner of his piece.

"He will."

Ron looked confused at Hermione's positive answer. Normally these situations frustrated her, but she was actually smiling at the moment. "How can you be so sure?"

"Harry's still here. If Dumbledore can't get them back, he'd have poofed into non-existence the moment they appeared here."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense then." Harry blinked, glad he hadn't 'poofed' and sent the Wizarding World into chaos. After all, the prediction in Dumbledore's Pensieve was enough to tell him that if he disappeared, well… Voldemort would take over completely and no one would be safe. Yes, that would be bad, very bad indeed. "Well, I guess we should go find those shoes and some food now…" He rose from his seat, biting into his chocolate at last, convinced that his parents and their friends would make it home safely since he was still alive.

"Er, Harry wait." Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you... I mean it must be hard for you to…"

"They're fighting like a cat and a dog." Ron stated, raising an eyebrow and not moving from his seat.

"Yeah… Mum hated Dad up until their seventh year… I asked Lupin about it last year after…"

"After what Harry?"

"Well, there was a reason Snape stopped the Occlumency lessons, but I can't say. He told me never to tell anyone… It involves one of his memories that had my parents in it, and they were fighting there as well."

"You broke into Snape's memories? Oh Harry…"

"It was in Dumbledore's Pensieve… I was curious and tempted and stupid, let's just leave it at that." Harry's tone had become sharp. He wanted to forget about what he'd seen and heard in that stupid Pensive. It'd be best that way. He knew his parents would get together eventually, even after seeing how much they didn't get along only a little while ago.

"Alright mate… you're ok though right? I hate it when my parents fight, it's awkward." Ron stared at him with a worried expression, reaching his hand into his pocket to get more chocolate just in case.

"I'm fine. They'll work things out. I know they will… Dad just needs to deflate his head a bit first. Now c'mon, let's go get those shoes…" The other two nodded and followed him out of the compartment and on down the corridor. They made their way back along the train, Hermione peeking into compartment of friendly students every once in a while, looking to see if they might be small enough to provide the shoe size they needed. They didn't have any luck until they reached a compartment near their old one.

"Here." Hermione nodded to a gaggle of girls who looked to be anywhere from their second year to their fifth year. All Hufflepuffs. Harry stepped back. He'd had a bad enough time with girls in the past two years to know it most likely wouldn't be safe for him to show his face with this bunch. Hermione seemed to notice. "You cans tay there Harry…" He sighed in relief and stood back, out of view of the door.

Hermione slid the door open and she and Ron peeked in through it at the girls who stopped their excited chattering to look up at them. The oldest one, a brown haired girl, responded to them first.

"Can we help you?"

"We're looking to borrow a pair of size five shoes… A friend of our's forgot her's at home and her flip flops are destroyed beyond repair."

"No shoes? In this weather? That's awful!"

"Can you help us out then?"

"Er…" The brown haired girl looked at her friends. "I wear a size seven… Marie? You're a five. You've got an extra pair of sneakers don't you? Those ones your Mum made you bring even though they were your sister's years ago? Would those work?"

"I don't know. They fit me fine…" A strawberry blond girl with pigtails frowned shaking her head. "I dunno if Mum would…"

"Please?" Harry had had enough of listening to this girly chatter and popped his head into the compartment. "We could really use them." He winced at the sound of squealing. The girls rushed about the compartment suddenly, trunks opening and shoes appearing. He had four pairs of shoes thrust towards him at once and he blinked. "We only need one pair…"

"Take mine!"

"No mine! They're cleaner!"

"No take…"

"We'll take Marie's since she offered first." Hermione stated loudly over the chatter. The pigtailed girl beamed as the others girl's smiles dropped. She held out a pair of sneakers, black and round toed with little red hearts and green stairs painted on the sides and toes in glitter glue. Harry took them with a gratified smile.

"Thanks Marie."

"Welcome Harry. D'you need socks too?" The small girl held out a pair of plain white socks before forcing them into the shoes. "Here, take them anyways."

"Er, alright then, thanks."

"Anything else?" This girl seemed rather eager to please. She couldn't have been more than a third year judging by her size. It made Harry feel rather odd. He hated the attention he always got, just because of what had happened when he was a baby.

"No, this is enough thanks." Harry stated, holding up the shoes and backing away. "We've really got to get back to our friends now. Thanks again. See you." With that he disappeared from their sight and started down the corridor, swinging one shoe in each hand back and forth. Ron and Hermione smiled at the younger girls and left, making sure the slide their door closed again. As soon as it had clicked there was squealing and laughter from inside it along with shrieks of 'Harry Potter! _The_ Harry Potter! Needed _my_ shoes!'

"Nutters, the lot of em." Ron said as they continued on their way. They ran into the trolley lady and got a bunch of Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin Pasties for everyone; relieved they wouldn't have to go looking for it at the front of the train. With their arms laden with the goodies and Harry's hands still swinging the shoes, they made their way back to the compartment.

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Bit of an iffy ending, but I think it works, don't you? Yes, they've been on the train for good while now haven't they? Don't worry, next up: A lot less train and a lot more Hogwarts. Thanks for reading! And the little button down there would like you to click it... I'd be very happy if you did, and more likely to get a chapter up sooner rather than later really...

Well, see you until next time!

S.Q.O.


	4. Of Cloaks and Friends

Disclaimer: Again. they belong to J.K. Rowling, for she is a goddess and I am not.

Ha! Another chapter! And it's only been a few hours since I got the last one up, I'm really on a roll today! And it's amazing... I got six reviews in those few hours. Thanks guys. I love hearing from you and getting your imput as to what you think. And now.. chaptah fouwa!

**And again, there are still Deathly Hallows spoilers.**

* * *

**_The Future of the Past_**

**_Chapter Four. Of Cloaks and Friends._**

Upon their arrival back at the compartment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had received quite a few thanks for the food they had brought back to their 'new' friends. By the time they had returned, James and Lily had stopped arguing, though Lily was sitting in one corner, hugging her legs to her chest and looking miffed, and James was in the corner diagonal from her's… as far away from her as possible, looking just as angered. Both remained silent. Sirius was still where he had been, next to James, though the latter of the two boys had moved. And Remus was sitting beside Sirius, handing him a doggy biscuit every now and then even though they were all eating the pastries as well.

Lily had been absolutely delighted with the shoes and they'd found themselves with her feet inside them and being tied up in a matter of seconds after being handed to her. Though, once they were on she'd resumed her quietly pissy position and no one had bothered to try to speak to her or James since, not wanting to set them off. James cooled off after he had eaten though. After they'd all finished eating, the five boys had climbed off their seats and onto the floor. They were currently playing a very exciting game of Strip Exploding Snap… or Snape as the Marauders liked to call it.

All of them were chattering away, laughing and just being merry in general now. The cards had just exploded in Sirius's face and singed the ends of his hair.

"Nice one Padfoot!" Remus laughed, waving his wand at his friend's shocked face and restoring his hair to normal. Once the shock had left him, Sirius joined in on the laughter, taking off his shirt. He'd already lost his tie and tied it around his head, his robes, his shoes, his socks, and his belt. Remus had managed to keep everything but his tie so far. Harry and James were tied with being both without ties and robes. Ron however, was behind them, having lost his robes, his tie, and his shoes.

"You know, I think I could win this if I keep it up long enough… how many explosions is that so far?"

"About six I think. You know Pads, the point of the game is to keep your clothes and NOT make it blow up." James stated prodding his best mate in the cheek with one of the doggy biscuits.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Sirius took the biscuit from him and popped it into his mouth, sucking on it so the part between the nubbley bits of the dog chew and the other nubbley bit stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he looked over his hand of cards. While the trio had been gone, he'd finally managed to properly get the bandaging on his arm, most likely with help from one of his friends by the looks of it.

Five minutes later there was another explosion of the cards and Sirius yelped. "Ha! I guess I get to take off my pants now eh?" He rose from his seat and started undoing the button on them.

"Ah! Don't look Evans!" James rose from where he sat, knocking over the pile of cards in the middle and tripping over Ron. He landed with a thud on the floor, causing everyone except Lily to burst out laughing. She just looked down at him with a frown, hatred in her eyes as she did so. Upon spotting this, Harry stopped laughing and was very glad when a voice came over the train.

"We will be arriving at Hogsmeade station in ten minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train. And those who haven't already, change into your robes and cloaks, you'll be needing them."

"Awww… looks like I don't get to take my pants off after all." Sirius pouted, buttoning and zipping them back up. The boys gathered the discarded clothes from around them and hurried to put them back on. Sirius left his tie tied around his head, as though it were something he did on occasion when he was either bored or just felt like it. Which, when Harry asked about, was the case. Apparently he did it half because he liked it and half because it pissed off McGonagall, something he said, he enjoyed doing a great deal. "How is old Minnie?"

"Um…"

"Oh dear! Don't tell me she died?"

"No, she's still teaching! But it's rather disrespectful of you to call her that." Hermione put her hands on her hips as she rose from her seat. She marched out of the compartment, leaving to get her, Ron, and Harry's cloaks from their trunks.

"Oh but she loves me." Sirius grins, winking at Harry who blinked. He was fairly certain McGonagall wouldn't like being called 'Minnie' especially not by a student. That would just be weird.

"Merlin's pants!" Lily let her legs drop to the floor and she stood up, looking out the window. It was raining bucket now as they neared the station. They all would definitely be fairly wet even with cloaks… Cloaks. Harry blinked again. The Marauders and his mother didn't have cloaks… They'd get soaked to the bone and probably get sick.

"You lot don't have cloaks… Remus, could you duplicate our's? Just until we get up to the castle."

"That's rather advanced magic Harry, I'm afraid we won't learn to duplicate anything until seventh year."

"Bloody hell." Harry sighed, trying to think of what they could do. Maybe Hermione'd be able to duplicate a cloak or two. If not he'd let one of the others have his… maybe they could double up. Three cloaks to six people. That would work. The'd have to go by size… if they put Lily with Ron, and Hermione with Sirius, that would leave James and Remus to share.

"Got them." Hermione smiled, returning with the three cloaks and setting them down on one of the seats. She took her up and looked around. "Oh dear."

"Yeah, we've got a bit of a problem. Could you make cloaks?"

"I'm afraid I haven't really read up on that sort of thing much. We don't learn it until next year."

"Right then." Harry took up the cloaks, taking Hermione's from her. "Ron, you share with Lily. Hermione, Sirius. James and Remus can share."

"And what about you?" Lily stared at him, her eyes curious. She had apparently not expected him to act this way fro some reason.

"I'll go without and be fine."

"No you will not!" Lily's hands found her hips and she glared up at him, eyes blazing. If she'd been alive and not from the past, he felt sure that this was the gaze he'd have cowered under when he was little and had done something wrong. The thought made him smile.

"I'll be fine. The worst that can happen is that I'll need some Pepper-up Potion."

"No. I refuse to let you be without a cloak. You share with Ron. _I'll_ go without."

"You'll do no such thing Evans. You get sick just looking at a storm sometimes. If anyone goes without it'll be one of us guys… Better not Remus though, he already gets sick too often."

"Not me either mate, I'm already cozy." Sirius grinned as they turned to find he was already wearing Hermione's cloak and had buttoned her in beside him. She looked less than thrilled at having him for a cloak buddy. Her messy hair indicated she hadn't gone into the cloak willingly either. Ron's expression stated he wasn't happy about it either as he looked at them.

"How about I take Hermione and Sirius takes Lily?"

"No!" Lily, James, and Sirius shouted at the same time. Sirius wrapped his arms around Hermione firmly.

"I don't wanna trade. This one's warm and cuddly. And Evans bites. I've still got the scar, see?" He held out his right hand, indicating a very small crescent shape on the palm that Harry had remembered seeing one on the old Sirius's hand. Harry thought he'd been joking when he had asked him about it and his only response had been 'Your mother had quite sharp teeth Harry.'

"I didn't bite you that hard!"

"Then how come the scar's still there after five years?"

"Because scars tend to stay."

"Well…Bah!" Sirius replied, having no better answer than that at the moment. Then the train gave a lurch, sending all of them teetering. It knocked Harry, Ron, Lily, and Remus off their feet while James was smart enough to grab the bar of the luggage rack above him while Sirius and Hermione had extra support due to being stuck together at the moment. James's Chaser skills had his hand shooting out to grab Lily's arm before she hit the floor. He tugged her back into a standing position before the train came to a sudden and complete halt, sending her foreword and into his chest. He caught her with a very happy smile on his face.

"I knew you loved me Evans!"

"Don't touch me Potter!" Lily's hand flew out and had hit his cheek before anyone could stop her. She moves away from him quickly, leaving a red handprint on his face. James winced and brought his own hand up to his cheek, covering the spot.

"Damn Evans, that one actually almost hurt."

"Yeah right Prongs, it looks like that one actually did hurt."

"Shut up."

"Guys, we really need to get-" Remus was cut off though, but a rather emotionless sounding voice.

"Dumbledore… Sent me to get you. Before any of you put yourselves at risk by being seen. You weren't thinking of leaving the compartment undisguised, were you Lupin… Black… Potter?" They all turned to look. There he stood, looking very much like an oversized bat as he always did. His hair was as greasy as ever, his nose just as hooked, his dark eyes staring at them in contempt. Everyone froze… except Lily. She let out a squeal and went straight for him. It was the first time Harry had ever seen anyone actually hug Snape.

"Sevvy! Oh Sevvy! I'm sorry I yelled at you and told you off and completely ditched you!" Snape looked down at Lily with an expression of such softness and caring that Harry almost had a heart attack. He knew they'd been best friends, but this was too much for him to take. He couldn't do anything about it though, except stand there and watch as Snape's arms lifted and he hesitantly hugged the red head back loosely. Then his grip tightened and one hand found it's way to the back of her head while his face found itself to her hair.

"Lily…" The embrace didn't break until James cleared his throat and Snape seemed to remember there were others present. He immediately dropped his arms from around the red haired girl and pushed her back. She stared up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Did you really do it Sev? Did you become a Death Eater and betray them to join Dumbledore? Are you really good and not bad?" Snape stared at her.

"Yes…" He seemed rather reluctant to speak to her further… or take his eyes off of her. "Potter! Weasley! Granger! You get up to the school."

"But…" Harry was not about to leave his parents, Remus and Sirius alone… especially with Snape.

"It's Dumbledore's orders. You wouldn't want to go against him, now would you Potter? Leave. I'll take things from here."

"That's right, leave it up to Snivellus." James's tone was scornful, his expression full of pure dislike as he kept his eyes on Snape, as though daring him to respond.

"You shall keep your childish disrespect to yourself Potter."

"Do as he says James. He's here to help us, not fight us." Remus piped up, grabbing a hold of his friend's sleeve to keep him from lunging as he was trying to do. James looked at him and at the others before he gave a very curt nod and remained still. "Go on Harry. We'll be all right."

Harry stared at his assuring gaze and nodded. He'd have to trust that Dumbledore really had sent Snape for them and that it was not some trick. That the great bat of a man was really on their side. Dumbledore believed it, and therefore he supposed he should too.

"C'mon." Harry led Ron, and Hermione (who'd escaped a reluctant to let go Sirius and taken her cloak with her) out of the compartment and along with the large crowd of other students on their way to getting off the train.

"Harry!"

"What?" He turned around to look at them, only to find Ron taking Hermione's cloak and holding it out to him. "I.."

"Take it Harry. Mine's bigger, she can share with me."

"But Ron…"

"Take it Harry."

"Hermione…" Harry was left to let Ron force the cloak into his hands and watch her slip into Ron's. The red head was looking so pleased with himself as he buttoned up his cloak that Harry couldn't help but put Hermione's cloak on and not argue over it. He figured it was better than having them fighting anyways. He hoped they'd make it up to the castle and not argue on the way there.

Following the long throng of pressing students, the three made their way off the train. Water hit them and they brought their collars up. Hermione's head disappeared beneath Ron's cloak as he did so, and it looked rather laughable. But Harry didn't laugh. He couldn't help but feel as if he had abandoned his mother and father and Sirius and Remus by leaving them on the train with Snape for now. There was nothing to be done though except trust that he would get them safely up to the castle and not go all Death Eater on them and kill them. Sensing his feelings, Hermione spoke up.

"Harry, can you still remember Sirius and Remus The old ones?"

"Yes."

"Then he hasn't killed them. And you're still here, so your dad hasn't provoked him into killing him yet. They really don't like each other do they?"

"No, they don't." (A/N: And at this point in time I shall take a quick break to roast marshmallows.)

"Well, I suppose we shouldn't have expected any different."

"Nope."

"It's strange though isn't it? Snape and your mum?"

"I'd rather not talk about it if it's alright with you Hermione."

"Oh. Right. Sorry Harry." They stopped talking as they climbed up into an empty carriage. Soon after joined by a very wet looking Ginny, Neville and Luna who had spotted them from nearby.

"Hello." Luna smiled and took out her Quibbler now that they were all safe in the dry, slightly musty and smelling of hay carriage. "You three disappeared quite a long time ago. Did something come up?" It was then that Harry realized Luna must have been left all by her lonesome in the compartment once Ron and Hermione had gone off.

"Yeah. Sorry about that Luna, we didn't mean to leave you alone…"

"It's quite alright… I'm used to it."

"No, it's not." Hermione frowned. She was sitting on Ron's lap, having no alternative until the cloak could come off without fear of freezing; it was that cold with this rain. "Friends don't do that to each other Luna. I'm terribly sorry we did."

"Friends?"

"Yes Luna, we're friends, all of us here. We thought you'd have figured that bit out by now."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh wonderful! I can't wait to write to Daddy! He'll be positively thrilled! He just wanted me to manage to make one or two and I've got five."

"You do that." Harry smiled, glad to see Luna wasn't mad, in fact, she seemed more ecstatic now than he'd ever seen her before. It was surprising she hadn't managed to make friends before them, but then again, there are just some things you become friends over… like slipping into High Inquisitor offices and breaking into some of the most forbidden zones of the Ministry or… Harry looked over at Hermione nestled up snugly in Ron's cloak while the boy kept his arms wrapped around her to keep her on his lap while the carriage was jostled about… taking down a mountain troll. Thinking about it he rather hoped something big would happen to bring his parents together. Though becoming friends with Luna hadn't been all that hard… she really was a very nice and fun to be around, if a bit odd…getting Ron and Hermione to be friends they way they were currently had been a different matter entirely. Ron had seemed to really hate Hermione for quite a while before they'd defeated that troll, and even after that it'd been quite a ways uphill, and the hill had divets in it from all the fighting that had ensued since. But looking at them now, Harry had a bit more hope for James and Lily than just the fact that he knew they were going to get together because he was still alive and well. His parents were still at the bottom of a hill… and from his point of view… there was also a rock called Snape between them.

The carriage continued to carry them up towards the castle and Harry sighed, leaning back into the seat. From what had happened so far, this was going to be one interesting year. And they hadn't even reached the school yet.

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Yay! Another chapter up! I know I said there'd be Hogwarts in this one. But I changed my mind as to where Snape was going to come in, so it got a bit mussed. I promise the beloved castle will come into play in the next chapter. I dunno when I'll get it up. I'm hoping tommorow. Definitally not tonight... I don't think at least. But I'll try and get a companion piece to this one up tonight. A short one about how Lily bit Sirius, it's in the process right now, so be on the lookout for that. Well... you know what'd I like... for you to push the little button down there. You don't ahve too, but I really wish you would... it helps me write faster knowing people want more I guess, at least that's how this chapter worked.

See ya laters,

S.Q.O.


	5. Of Hair and Mashed Potatoes

Disclaimer: No. No. No. they belong to J.K.Rowling. Yes. The woman responsible for...yes.. yes... hangs up phone

Hello again! Ready to read again? Well, then, what are you waiting for Go for it!

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**_The Future of the Past._**

**_Chapther Five. Of Hair and Mashed Potatoes._**

When the carriage finally got up to the castle, it's six occupants were very relieved to be rid of it's bounceyness. They climbed out of it and ran, slipping in mud and puddles, to the steps of the main door of Hogwarts and into the Entrance hall. Looking around, Harry saw no sign of the seventies kids and frowned. He hadn't really been expecting them to be here, after all, they'd probably left the train a good bit after him and the others, so it was rather unlikely that they would already be here.

"Hurry Ron, I'm getting claustrophobic." Harry blinked and looked over at Ron and Hermione. Ron was fumbling with the top button of his cloak, and Hermione's head seemed to be stuck somewhere below it, hidden from view except for the hair that was currently caught in the button Ron was fumbling with.

"I'm trying. This button really seems to like your hair Hermione… or your hair's trying to eat it, I'm not sure which."

"Just sever it then!"

"It's quite a bit of hair… almost a whole lock. It's gotten caught in at least three buttons…" Ron stared down at the brown hair rather curiously, still picking away at it, strand by strand, gently trying not to rip it.

"I don't care! It's just hair, it'll grow back. Just get me out of here!" The pair had, by now, drawn quite a few eyes to themselves, mostly those of people who didn't recognize them at a glance. Harry sighed and decided to stay out of it. They'd figure it out soon enough without his unneeded help. And so, he made his way into the Great Hall, glancing up at the ceiling with a smile before he took a seat beside Neville at Gryffindor Table.

"Bit of a predicament they've gotten into, eh?" The brown haired boy grinned, gesturing towards the Entrance Hall where, if one listened hard enough , Ron and Hermione were still arguing among the laughter.

"Yeah. I think everyone but them is enjoying it."

"They are rather amusing…" Harry jumped and turned to watch as a brown haired girl he didn't recognize sat down beside him, a familiar smile on her face. "Hello Harry. We haven't taken too long have we? Sev wanted us to be perfect…" Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper on the last bit. Harry blinked and suddenly realized three boys accompanied the girl, sitting down next to her and acrossed from her. Blinking again he turned to look up at the teacher's table, and sure enough, there was Snape, sitting right beside McGonagall as he always had. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together he blinked again and turned back to the girl with a smile.

"No, not at all." He had to admit, Snape had really done a good job at disguising the four. Besides now having brown hair, Lily's eyes had been changed to blue, all freckles besides those on her cheeks and nose taken away, and her skin changed to a ton of light tan rather than that of the paleness of a redhead. The boy beside her looked nothing like any of the Marauders. In fact, he looked almost exactly as Lily did now, only taller and a boy. Same blue eyes, same shade of brown hair, same skin tone, if Harry didn't know any better, he would have assumed them twins, which, thinking about it, was probably what they were supposed to be.

The boys opposite Lily and the other boy, looked as different from any of the Marauders as they could be as well. The one on the left acrossed from Lily now resembled a Weasley in every manner possible. He had the same brown eyes Ginny did, startling red hair, and so many freckles it would be impossible to even attempt counting them all. He even had the tall and gangly thing going for him that Ron had always had to him.

The boy next to him however, had dirty blond hair that fell into place as if it'd never need to be combed, steely blue-gray eyes and was neither pale nor tan. He didn't look like anyone Harry knew, and that was probably the idea. Change them so you couldn't recognize them if you tried. It was smart… probably Dumbledore idea since he seemed to know from the start that they were here. Harry wasn't about to question how he knew though, Dumbledore usually just knew things like that and there was really no point in asking because you'd most likely just get a twinkle of the eyes and that would be that.

"Made some new friends then Harry?" Neville asked curiously, glancing at them all.

"Yeah. This is…" Harry blinked as the boy beside Lily cut him off at once.

"I'm Romulus and this my sister, Sage. Those two… the blond one is Jacob and the red head is Sam... Drop it Sam!"

"But Rooooooomy…" The red haired boy pouted, setting the doggy biscuit he had just been about to eat down on the table in front of him. Harry grinned. Now he knew who was Sirius. And if he got it correct, only Lily's name had changed with it's first letter, so the blond boy had to be James and Romulus had to be Remus. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Sirius's tie was still wrapped around his head and hanging down the right side of his face.

"You can wait to eat like the rest of us. And don't call me Romy."

"Yes mother." Sirius stuck his tongue out at Remus and took to nibbling on his doggy biscuit anyways. Apparently he didn't care what anyone said. Harry laughed at his godfather's antics before looking over to the teacher's table to see what they thought of this. None of them even seemed to have noticed and were busy conversing with one another as though nothing had happened… of course. They would remain normal even if they did know. They'd have too so as not to cause suspicions among the students, but then again… things tended to spread like wild fire among the students of Hogwarts.

"I swear to Merlin Ronald! No! Just leave it!" Hermione flopped down into the seat on the other side of Harry from Lily and Remus. Harry grinned despite himself. The hair hanging in her face on her right side was a lot shorter than it was on the other side.

"Please Hermione, it's just a simple spell. It'll go back to normal…"

"No. I could use a hair cut anyway. I'll just have Lavender finish severing it later. She always does Parvati's and has really good aim with that spell."

"But Hermione…"

"I haven't had a haircut in.. I don't even remember the last time I had one, that's how badly I need one."

"It'll be so short." Ron muttered looking down at his empty plate as he sat down beside her.

"Change is good."

"I could do it Hermione. I always cut my friend Alice's hair."

"That's right…" Remus grinned placing an arm around Harry's mother and giving her a squeeze, causing Harry to feel awkward once more. "She's good at it. She's cut mine, and Sam's, and…" He stopped short, glancing up at the teacher's table before looking back at the rest of them. "…before."

"Alright then. Later?" Hermione smiled brightly, tugging at the short lock of her hair.

"Definitely." Lily smiled back and Harry noted, it was the same smile he'd seen her use earlier when she was a redhead. He sighed, glad that not all of her had changed completely.

"Attention!" The hall grew quiet at once as Dumbledore stood up. He barely ever said anything, but tonight everyone was especially loud and therefore he had opted for stating the word to draw them in. Though he needn't've. Everyone worshiped him so much, ok, so the Slytherins didn't, that they grew quiet as soon as he'd shifted in his seat. "Welcome new and old! I'm am sure you are all waiting desprately for a feast and therefore I shall prolong you no longer! I dare say, tuck in!" The tables filled at once with food and everyone went at it, calming their growling stomachs.

Harry laughed as Sirius grabbed a chicken leg and a piece of corn and started munching away at one and then another as though he had been starved. When he finished his chicken he took a bite of his doggy treat and then continued on with the human food as well. It was a little sickening to watch, but very amusing… at least he chewed with his mouth closed.

"Mister Barkley! I dare say! Chew your food rather than swallowing it whole." McGonagall had come down to them for some reason or another. Though, the fact that there were four students who should not have been at the table this year was probably a good reason as to why she was there.

"Ello Minnie! Miss me?" Sirius waved his half eaten corn on the cob at her, smiling brightly, the tie tied around his head swinging and hitting him against the cheek lightly as he did so. Harry blinked. Either McGonagall's lips had just twitched slightly, or he was seeing things.

"Call me that again and it's detention Barkley. And get that thing off you're head. You look ridiculous."

"Aye aye cap'n Minerva! You mean riddikulus." Sirius saluted her, giving her a very cocky grin.

"Barkley…" McGonagall's tone was warning. She reached up and tugged at Sirius's tie, making it lock tighter about his head. She sighed, giving up on that bit.

"Yes Professor." Sirius pouted, but didn't bother to try and annoy her anymore.

"Good boy. Now, Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you four in his office after the feast. I daresay you know the way?"

"Yes Professor." James nodded, grinning like a maniac. Harry grinned as well. They must have been to Dumbledore's office before for some sort of pranking or other.

"Good." Professor McGonagall gave them a nod and left to return to her seat at the teacher's table.

"Wonder what old Dumbles wants..." Sirius stated curiously, poking at his mashed potatoes with his corn.

"Gee… I wonder." Remus rolled his eyes sarcastically. His arm had left Lily';'s shoulder';'s by now and he was poking at his own potatoes.. with a fork as he was supposed too. James laughed at this, but Lily seemed distracted. The latter was proven to be correct when she next opened her mouth.

"I wonder if Sevvy ever got married…"

"L-Sage!" Remus blinked and the others all paused in what they were doing.

"Why. Did you want to marry him Evans? I'm sure he'd have you if he'd had the chance." James stated scathingly, dropping his spoon and smashing a hand into his own mashed potatoes that he'd just been about to scoop up. He doesn't seem to notice as he stares at Lily, his eyes wild with anger.

"No. I most certainly do not P-…" Harry covered her mouth before the word could come out. His last name. If she said it out loud it was cause havoc around them if anyone heard, and she was being awful loud.

"Oi. Sage. Don't." Harry shook his head and then yelped, tugging his hand away. There was a red mark on it now. She'd bit him… his own mother had bitten him. He hoped this didn't scar… it'd looked great his right hand would. With a bite mark on one side and the words 'I must not tell lies.' on the other. "No fighting right now. Or at least call him something different. Like... Portor… or whatever. Just not… not the other one."

"Sorry Harry." Lily frowned at him and raised her eyebrows before giving him a small, guilty smile. "I forgot."

"S'alright." Harry smiled at her, unable to help it.

The feast ended with a bang as Sirius set off a firework he'd had in his pants and everyone made their was out of the Great Hall in good spirits. The trio headed for the common room while the three Marauders and Lily, made for Dumbledore's office as they had been told to do earlier.

"What do you think he's going to tell them" Ron asked, watching as they turned the corner and made their way towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Probably to keep a low profile." Harry suggested, shrugging.

"Or he might be sending them back."

"What" harry frowned. He hadn't thought of that. He immedietly turned around and headed in the opposite direction at a run. Ron called after him.

"Where are you going mate!?"

"I have to say goodbye!" Harry shouted back. "I'm not going to let them go without being able to say goodbye this time!" A wave of panic flooded over him. He didn't want them to go, he realized. If they had to now, he'd never get to know them really. He had barely just started. He didn't want to lose them already. He barreled past students and staff on their way to their common rooms and offices. No one bothered to stop him. Nothing stopped him until he slammed straight into someone and they both went flying to the floor. "Bloody… sorry." He gasped, looking at the figure sprawled beneath him. It was just a redhead with a tie tied around his head… and there were dog chews scattered on the floor around them. Realizes who he'd knocked into Harry grabs hold of him, hugging him tightly.

"Woah mate!" Sirius struggled. "I know I'm sexy… well… not as sexy as I would be if I looked like myself… but…" Harry laughed and let go of him before standing up and holding out a hand. Sirius took it tugging himself up. Harry immediately hugged Remus once he was sure Sirius was alright.

"I just… I just didn't want you to go... without saying goodbye…" he let go of remus and latched onto James before moving onto Lily who giggled and hugged him right on back.

"What do you mean goodbye? We're not going anywhere for at least two months. Dumbledore said it's going to take a while to build another time turner. Appearently someone broke the entire stock of them at the ministry. Can you imagine? Who'd do such a thing?" Harry grinned sheepishly, opening his mouth and thinking better of it. No, they didn't need to know that that was partly his fault… He let go of Lily with a sigh.

"So, you're stuck here for a while then?"

"Cheh cheh." Lily nodded. Harry sighed in relief. He needn't say goodbye yet.

"Sorry, but.. that's great! Now we can… play Quidditch, or.. whatever. Just… just great!" Harry grinned brightly back at them and they started on their way down the hallway. Back the way Harry had just come. On the way there they ran into Ron and Hermione.

"Guess what!" Harry stated enthusiastically, unable to help himself.

"What?"

"Two months. They're staying at least two months."

"great Harry, that's great." Hermione smiled at him. He knew she was happy for him, but not happy that he'd probably get attached and not want them to leave. Which he already was. It was too late for him not to be. And with that. The seven students made it back to the common room and headed up to bed, one of them rather gleefully I might add.

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Yay! Another one up! Yay! Heheh. It took forever for me to get my groove on this one, but it happened eventually. Now then, you can push the happy button and provoke me to write more sooner and tell me what you think, or you can not push it and wait longer than ever for another chapter. What say you? I say I absolutely love playing with Sirius...

Laters,

S.Q.O.


	6. Of Food and Goop

Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to say they're mine, i must admit defeat and say no, they're J. K. Rowling's and she's the most brilliant, lovely, person on this planet for me to idolize... Or at least my favorite author.

I';'d l;ike to thank you for all your reviews again. They really get me going and thinking of what to make happen next. See, everything I play by ear... I wing it. I do have a tiny plot line, but not much to go on so, if you have any ideas, I'd be more than happy to hear and consider them. And now, I give you... Chapter Six... with yet another Deathly Hallows spoiler warning!

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**_The Future of the Past._**

**Chapter Six: Of Food and Goop.**

Harry awoke when he felt warmth and light on his face. He moaned and rolled over, tugging the blankets over his head. He wasn't ready to get up yet. It felt much too early. And he was right. It was only about five thirty am. Breakfast didn't even start until seven thirty, and classes were at nine. He couldn't help being curious though, when a voice very similar to his own spoke out.

"Die you evil sun, die." It was then that he remembered and sat up. The dorm room he usually shared with Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean, was twice as big as it used to be with three extra beds. A blond boy in the bed next to his rolled over, holding his pillow over his currently wincing face. The sun had reached him before it had Harry.

"That's what you get for not closing your curtains Prongs." Harry looked over at the bathroom door where a brown haired, blue eyed boy stood, wearing nothing but his boxers, a toothbrush hanging out of the corner of his mouth. Remus grinned. "Morning Harry. Nice day, isn't it?" The brown haired boy wandered over in between the beds between his and Harry's. "Time for our morning wake up ritual." Both James and Sirius groaned and scrunched down further in their bed.

Remus grinned mischievously and tugged the pillows away from the boys, then the blankets. He drew his wand (Harry didn't want to know from where) and raised it high in the air. Two streams of water shot out the tip and straight into both of the boxered, sleeping boys' faces. They yelped and were up and out of bed in a second, with Remus on the floor beneath them. The three rolled about, causing a racket and waking the others in the dorm who gathered about to place bets on who would win the current wrestling match going on the floor. When there were footsteps on the floor though, they all rushed to get back in a bed or into the bathroom. Which didn't go over very well because Harry ended up having to hide under the covers of his bed with James on top of him.

The door flew open and a set to kill looking five foot tall girl entered. Her brown hair was mussed something awful and her blue eyes blazing with fire. She marched over to Harry's bed, smacked the blond boy acrossed the cheek as hard as she could. Then she turned around and walked out of the room without a single word, slamming the door closed behind her.

"Damn Romulus… Your sister's a firecracker isn't she?" Seamus piped up, staring at the door from the bathroom door. "Though, she's a rather nice looking one at that."

"A bit... I suppose." Remus stated, shrugging and looking at the door Lily had just excited from. "I couldn't really see her that way… as she's my sister. Though I was born with a bruise on my backside… the doctors say it was from her kicking me."

"Nice."

"Prongsey got slapped!" Sirius chanted, having hopped onto Harry's bed now. He was jumping up and down, jostling the two boys currently still in it.

"Padfooooot… stoooooppit." James pushed him so he fell off the bed. By now everyone was wide awake. Harry groaned and climbed out of bed. Well, now was a good a time as any to get up. He stumbled into the newly enlarged bathroom for a quick shower that left him feeling clean. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder before heading down to the common room to wait for Ron and Hermione. Ron came after him within a few minutes, looking groggy. He flopped down in the nearest chair, his head lolling off to one side, his eyes closing slightly. The clock said it was only six in the morning, a very un-Ronish time to be awake. Harry sighed and sat down in the chair next to his, propping his elbow up on the arm and resting his chin in his hand. He could have fallen asleep right there, and would have if it weren't for the outburst from his red headed pal.

"Bloody hell! What've you done!?" Harry's eyes shot open and he immediately saw what the yelling was about. Ron was on his feet, looking slightly horrified at an annoyed Hermione. Harry had to blink twice before he realized it was her though.

Hermione's hair was shorter than either of them had ever seen it. It fell in slight, delicate curls, stopping an inch above her shoulders. The front curled inwards at the tips, framing her face from the chin up. The face was currently looking at Ron in a manner of defiance, and, if Harry detected it right, hurt.

"I… L-… Sage cut my hair. Don't you remember?"

"Well, we can bloody well see that bit!" Ron stated angrily, the tips of his ears reddening.

"Don't you like it? Harry?" Harry shrugged and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's great Hermione. Isn't it Ron?" He stressed the last bit, hoping that it implied to the red haired boy was it was supposed to. He seemed to get the hint.

"Yeah… great."

"Then what's the problem?" Hermione's head tilted to the side, and her hair followed her action, falling away from one side of her face and against her cheek on the other side.

"It… It's too damn short that's the problem! I can see your neck!"

"Are you implying that there's something wrong with my neck Ronald Weasley?"

"I... you… no!" Ron sputtered, his face going bright red. He sat back down in his chair, muttering something Harry could barely hear. He deciphered the words 'even more appealing', 'favorite bits of' and 'stupid stalking boys' out of the mutters though. He raised an eyebrow but decided it'd be best not to ask at the moment. He, himself, got preoccupied when the scurrying of feet from behind him told them that the Marauders were ready to begin the day. They came one right after another, stumbling and falling over one another until they landed at the bottom of the stairs.

Lily came down not long after that, looking rather more awake than she had earlier when she'd gone up into the boys' dorm and slapped James. "Good morning!" She smiled, skipping over and tugging at a lock of Hermione's hair. "Doesn't she look just darling?" The boys looked up at her, blinking before realizing what she was on about.

"Oh yeah. Just adorable Lils." Remus nodded, giving her a thumbs up, his eyes not leaving his book. James and Sirius merely nodded. Lily seemed pleased enough with the reaction as she flipped her legs over the back of the couch and plopped down onto it beside Hermione. She looked as though she was pondering between taking the book Hermione was reading, and letting her read. This inner battle ended quickly though and showed in the act of her hands finding Hermione's hair and starting to twiddle with it. This, Ron seemed to notice.

"What are you doing?" He inquired darkly, his eye narrowing and his previously smiling mouth at a joke Sirius had just spouted going away. "You're not going to sever it more are you?"

Lily waved a hand at him, shaking her head. "Oh fiddle faddle. I'm just thinking it'd look even nicer with a little braid and some ribbon…" She dug into her pocket and pulled out a deep blue ribbon that she then tied to the lock of hair she'd picked out. She started braiding the lock and ribbon together skillfully without a single hesitation of her hands. Harry looked at Ron who seemed to have relaxed slightly beside him, his blue eyes watching Lily's fingers without even blinking, as though daring them to do anything to that hair that he didn't approve of.

Harry blinked. It was just hair… he didn't see why Ron was getting so upset about it. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, for, as soon as Lily had finished, Sirius stood up and bounded for the portrait hole. James was hot on his tail, and Remus followed soon after them. One, two, three, straight out the portrait hole. Harry blinked and rose, deciding to follow after them. He motioned to Ron and Hermione and they rose, nodding. Lily got up too and led the way to the exit of the common room.

The Marauders had already disappeared completely from the hallway by the time the other four got out.

"Where d'you think they've gone too?" Harry asked, looking up and down the hallway in confusion.

"Well, it's still fifteen minutes till breakfast, so they're probably off trying to find someone to pull a prank on." Lily shrugged and started down the hallway. "They went this way though. Black left a doggy…"

"Heeeeeeyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" There was a loud racket of noise and before Harry knew what had happened he was flat on his back and covered in some sort of green, slimy goop.

"POTTER! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!"

"It was Sirius's idea this time, I swear!"

"And I had nothing to do with it Lils! I only turned it green for them, I didn't think you lot'd be the intended targets!"

"You're both lying! I did nothing! It was all you two!"

Harry sat up and watched as his mother chased his father in circles, the former dripping with the same stuff Harry was covered in while the latter just laughed and dodged her every attempt to catch him. It would have been a laughable sight if not for the look of loathing on Lily's face. The yelling got louder as the fighting commenced amongst both Lily and James and continuing on to include Sirius and Remus who were shouting for Lily to stop chasing their best mate and calm down. Ron and Hermione had also started bickering, something about whether the prank was absolutely bloody brilliant or pathetically juvenile. Harry was so busy watching to current events that he did not hear the footsteps behind him, and only turned when a cool hard voice spoke.

"All of you be quiet before I hex your lips together." Harry sighed and stood up before turning around to face his most hated Potions Master for the second time in the last fourteen hours. The others had hushed up at his arrival as well. "Now what…. Is going on here? Causing trouble again Potter? It clearly seems to be."

"Potter and Black slimed us Sevvy." Lily stated stepping forward, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her face was set as the thoroughly angry.

"So it would seem. Potter, Black, Saturday detention, my office, eight am sharp." James's mouth dropped and he glared.

"You can't give us detention…"

"Yes he can, he's a professor and he can do as he pleases, Potter."

"Just because he's a professor now doesn't mean he isn't still a greasy git, Evans."

"An extra detention for lack of respect Potter. Now I suggest you button your lips before you receive any more." Lily blew a raspberry at James and grinned at Snape brightly.

"Would Sevvy like to come for a walk with me? Please? We can go down to the lake and skip stones…" Snape gulped and looked as though Harry had never seen him before, nervous.

"I… I'm afraid that that is not something I can do currently at the moment unfortunately. Go and enjoy breakfast with your…" He glanced at the rest of them before looking back at Lily. "Friends."

"But Sevvy, you're my friend too, my very best friend."

"What would you assume if you saw your thirty six year old professor skipping stone with your sixteen year old class mate?"

"I… I see your point. Maybe some other time?"

"We'll see. See you… Lily…" Snape turned on his heel shooting her a smile and a wave as though he had forgotten the others' presence as he had yesterday on the train. Harry shuddered and shook his head. He did not enjoy running into Snape while his mother around… it was just creepy and bone chilling. As soon as Snape was out of sight, Harry cleared his throat and tugged out his wand.

"Anyways… scourgify." He waved his wand at himself and then the others, attempting to get them all cleaned up and succeeding. James was muttering to himself about 'bloody Snivellus' and Sirius was actually frowning. "What's wrong Sirius?" The boy with the tie tied around his head (again) looked at Harry and then smiled slightly.

"We didn't break our detention record is all. Five minutes earlier and we would've been golden."

"Oh… yeah…" James blinked at him, nodding. "We would have broken it if everything was five minutes earlier. Shame that. Could've been great. Well, I suppose there's always next year. And we could still beat our 'Not the First Twenty-Four Hours But Still the First Week of School Record for Pulling a Prank.'"

"You really want more detention mate?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow at them. James grinned.

"Who says we'll be caught? Detentions don't count with the 'Not the First Twenty-Four Hours But Still the First Week of School Record for Pulling a Prank.' That's where the 'pulling a prank' bit comes in, remember Moony?"

"Yes, and that's the last time Peter gets to come up with a name for the records. He's just not clever enough with them." At the mention of Pettigrew, Harry's jaw clenched and so did his fists, but he quickly shoved his hands into his pockets and attempted to look interested. They mustn't find out. It would be bad. He knew from his time with the Time-Turner that telling them anything might cause something bad to occur.

"Breakfast!" Ron states loudly, staring at Harry. The others jumped and blinked before nodding in agreement. With that said and done, the group headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Sage! Over here!" Lavender was waving from halfway down the table. Lily waved back, but seated herself where she already was. Harry sat down next to her and James sat on his other side. Harry grinned, not able to help it. The circumstances were just too happy making.

"Oh, I've just had an idea!" Sirius stated leaning acrossed the table towards James and Remus who leaned towards him,. The three took to whispering. Hermione seemed reproachful as to whatever they might possibly be discussing, and made herself known.

"Do you really think you should be playing pranks? Especially since this isn't exactly…" She lowered her voice, leaning foreward. "Your time?"

"All the better reason too! But this isn't much of a prank…" James grinned broadly, running a hand through his blond hair and reached for a giant bowl containing icky, sticky oatmeal. He stood right on up on the bench. "FOOD FIGHT!" And chucked the bowl at the nearest Slytherin. Needless to say, the entire hall of a thousand students immediately joined in on this change of pace. They had never had a food fight for as long as Harry could remember.

"Are you mad!" Hermione ducked under the table right before a plat of pancakes flew past where her head had been seconds ago. She stayed hidden there until Ron lured her out by smashing a peeled orange on her head. The Great Hall was in chaos. Not a single student was safe from the flying edibles. Lily had taken refuge under the table, guarding what Harry soon found out to be a plate of bacon. He slipped under the table, covered in syrup.

"C'mon and join us!"

"Must. Protect. From. Food. Fighters." Lily stated, hugging the plate of bacon closer, a piece dangling from her mouth as she munched at it, her eyes wild. Harry blinked. Was this normal behavior for his mother?

"Leave it here then, no one'll bother throwing something that's from under the table. They're busy throwing the stuff on top." Lily reluctantly set the plate on the floor and let Harry lead her out from under the table. The Gryffindors where doing extremely well, not afraid to jump up onto the table and chuck whatever they could get their hands on at the opposing houses. Slytherin had turned their table, as long as it was. Over onto it's side as a sort of barricade against their enemies. The Ravenclaws were using plates or shielding charms to prevent themselves from being hit in the face, but were otherwise unblocked and almost as fearless as the Gryffindors while the Hufflepuffs were running about everywhere, saving one another from a foody doom: those already covered leaping to try and shield their fellows who were still clean. Even the Prefects seemed to be having a blast with it. A food fight at Hogwarts was probably better than any of the food fights Harry had ever seen in his grade school. Most people were smart enough to put plates back down on the table so they would refill with ammo. At a Muggle school, when one was out of food to throw, they were out and there was no chance of getting more unless someone scooped it up off the floor.

And where the bloody hell were the professors one might ask? Well… most had eaten early and left to prepare for their classes before the fight had broken out. That was something that the Marauders had apparently foreseen happening. They knew how things worked here and took advantage of them at every opportunity. Currently the only professors present when the fight had started and while it was still going on were none other than Dumbledore who had taken to aiding every house, yes, aiding them, and Trelawney who rarely came down for meals. She was huddled under the teacher's table at the front of the room, muttering about how she had predicted that something terrible was going to happen.

Harry was about to nail Malfoy in the face with a particulary large dish of custard when he felt himself suddenly unable to move, his arm still outstretched, the custard in midair. He looked around, only his eyes able to move. Everyone else seemed to have been frozen in place. McGonagall came striding down the center aisle of the hall, straight to Dumbledore whom she de-froze and also whom looked rather sheepish.

"Ah, good morning my dear Professor McGonagall."

"Professor Dumbledore, what is going on here?" She gestured about the great Hall in all it's messy glory.

"Ah, yes. I believe the students felt a change of pace was needed, and I must admit I did nothing to discourage them of making this rather awful mess. I must also say, that though I have encourage this unruly behavior, I think the time has come to call it a draw."

"Surely you do not mean to let whoever caused this…" McGonagalls eyes flickered suspiciously over to the Marauders. "Go unpunished."

"Ah, well, no, I suppose not, but alas, the person or persons responsible for this whole entire ordeal have gone unnoticed by the staff and therefore, I must say we shan't be able to punish any of them. It would be most unfair for those who have not taken part in the fight, but merely gotten caught in the crossfire."

McGonagall sighed and waved her wand, unfreezing the students. "Back to your dormitories then, all of you. And into a bath." Harry ran to catch Lily before she fell flat on her face from being frozen in her particular position, but James got their first and they had to listen to the couple's bickering all the way back. They were in high spirits though, so they didn't mind it much.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron stated as he wiped strawberry waffle topping off his head.

"Why d'you gotta be such a prick all the time! I don't see why you had to 'rescue' me!"

"It was barbaric!" Hermione frowned, plucking a strawberry he'd missed off of his ear.

"You should be thanking me Evans! Thanks to me you don't have a bleeding nose or a squashed face!"

"Aw, come off it Hermione, it was fun."

"Thank you? After you caused the whole fight in the first place? Don't make me laugh!"

"Oh alright then, I suppose it was a little fun.

"No one would want to hear you laugh anyway Evans. You sound like a dying donkey with a head cold when you do!"

"Good girl. Now, know any spells that'll clean us up? I don't think Scourgify is going to get the bacon bits out of my…"

"Why thank you Potter! That's just what every girl wants to hear!" Lily bowed her head and stalked off in the opposite direction they were currently heading. Harry turned on his heel to go after her. He wondered really, whether this amount of fighting between his parents was normal, or if they were going at it more than usual. Either way, he was going to try and help them sort things out for the time being… at least until Dumbledore got them sent home. He looked both ways when he got to the end of the hall way… He just needed to find his mother first….

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Yeah, yeah, I know, crappy ending. I just.. yeah... Maybe the next chapter will be better? Maybe not? Who knows. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to review... actually.. PLEASE review? Pleeeeeeeeease? Otay, I'm good now...

Laters monkeys,

S.Q.O.


	7. Of Transfiguration and Turtles

yay! Finally! Another one! I actually really like one of the quotes in this one. Guess which one! Anyways, here you go.

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**The Future of the Past**

**_Chapter Seven_**

**_Of Transfiguration and Turtles_**

Harry sighed, peeking into classroom after class room until he found what he was looking for. Lily was sitting on the windowsill in a classroom no one used anymore by the appearance of the dust on the desks and the way they were propped up against one of the far wall, well out of the way.

"Lily?" Not calling her 'Mum' was getting easier for Harry… though he had to still remind himself in his head that she didn't know, mustn't know. He closed the door behind himself as she looked up from her staring out of the window to blink at him and rather awkwardly wipe at her eyes. She hastened to climb down from the windowsill and keep her face hidden behind a shroud of brown hair that should have been dark red. One might have found it odd, for Harry to go after a girl he barely knew… but... she wasn't just a girl… she was his mother... he was her loin fruit whether she knew it or not. "You alright?"

Lily blinked at him again as she lifted her head and nodded. Her eyes were supposed to be green… his eyes… not those… weird blue orbs she had now. Harry sighed. Her appearance didn't matter… what mattered was she was his mother and she'd run away upset and he was going to do something about it.

"No... you... you look like you've been crying."

"So what if I have? It's stupid too. He's just a stupid git bent on constantly hurting people's feelings and pulling pranks so others feel bad. It's what he's always done, what he'll always do. I vote we all just kill him now and have it over with." Harry snorted and shook his head.

"Unfortunately for you, I kinda need him to be alive…"

"Oh… yes… that's right. You wouldn't be here if he was… well then… I suppose we'll just have to find another way to get back at him. Know any good weak points?"

"I… No…"

"Agh!" Lily kicked out at one of the desks. She yelped and flopped down on the floor, holding her foot. Harry couldn't help laughing as he sat down beside her. He got a hand upside the head and called a wanker for it, but that wasn't something he wasn't already used to happening... well... usually it was Ron and it hurt more… but anyways…

"You sure you're ok though?"

"Yeah… I cry when I get angry... stupid tear ducts…"

"Alright then…"

"I hate crying."

"Alright then…"

"I need a hug."

"Um…"

"You're supposed to say 'Alright then…' again."

"Oh um... yeah... sure…" Harry blinked at her and didn't have a chance to even move to try and fulfill her wanting of a hug because she already had her arms tight around him, all he had to do was hug back. He blinked and hugged her tighter, feeling as though he was clinging to her… like a five year old to it's mummy after they'd been lost for an hour in a store... it was that feeling… the feeling of being safe and loved, and cared for that he got as he hugged his mother. It was sort of like hugging Mrs. Weasley, but better because it wasn't his best friend's mum, it was his own.

When they finally let go of each other, Lily was smiling at him brightly. "You're a damn good hugger Potter."

"S'are you." _Probably got it from you actually…._

"You know… I think you're right... you're nothing like Potter... you're sweet... he's just.. annoyingly big headed."

"I told you before. People say I take after my mum too."

"Well, that's a good thing. Anyways… class'll be starting soon… we don't want to miss it and we'd also best get cleaned up beforehand as well."

"Oh right." Harry looked down at his very currently messy self and pulled out his wand hoping that Scourgify would be a worthy enough opponent for the sticky syrupiness of his hair. Turned out it definitely was… after a few more than a few tries at it they were both clean. Together they made their way out of the empty unused classroom and back along towards the Gryffindor Tower to retrieve their bags for the day ahead of them.

"..and then she hugged me and everything was good." Harry stated, recounting his talk with Lily to Ron and Hermione at the very back of the Transfiguration classroom. The Marauders had been sitting with them until McGonagall had noticed where they were and decided she'd like to have them where she could see them better… right in the very front row. Lily was next to Remus... though not a trouble maker, McGonagall had said something about 'poor performance in previous Transfiguration classes so she wanted her up front too', so that was that. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were left to discuss things alone for the first time in days and to be honest, they found it rather nice.

"I still can't believe it's them though. It's like really weird movie." Said Hermione, peering up from her notes to look at the four in the front row.

"A what?"

"A movie. It's like… a story that you can see. With moving pictures."

"They're called paintings and photographs Hermione, not movies."

"No it's… never mind. Listen, Harry… you… you should try not to get too... too attached. I mean, they'll be going back soon enough and…"

"And what?"

"And you're just going to make it more painful on yourself when they do if you become…"

"Attached?"

"Well, yes."

"I can't not get to know them Hermione, they're…"

"Your parents I know." Hermione sighed in exasperation, setting her quill down and cupping her chin in both hands. "but honestly, you really shouldn't..."

"I know what I shouldn't do, but I just can't do that and you know it."

"Unfortunately."

"It'll be fine."

"I hope so, but…"

"Hermione, just bugger off already. He gets it." Ron took her quill from the table and shoved it back into her hand. "Now write, cause you know we're all going to need your notes later."

"Just because you can't read your own hand writing…" Harry couldn't help but snort drawing a glance from McGonagall that caused Hermione to start writing vigorously. Harry thought he saw the corners of her mouth twitch as Ron responded by slowing up his own note taking and concentrating rather harder than normal at getting his letters legible.

Transfiguration ended without much more conversation. The sixth years were ushered off to either Ancient Runes (to which Hermione darted off quickly), Muggle Studies (which she'd dropped, but they lost Sirius to, something about bugging the pants off his mother), or had a free period. Given that neither Harry nor Ron had ever taken up either subject they were left to start the Transfiguration essay they'd already been assigned in the common room. Harry was not pleased with how hard McGonagall had made their first homework assignment and even pouring over the right page in his book, could not quite figure out the exact difference of wand movements for turning a turtle into a teacup as opposed to turning the turtle into a tea kettle. Rather unfortunately, Ron seemed just as baffled as he did when he consulted his notes from today's lesson.

"You hold it higher and give it a tinier flick with a teacup." Harry looked up to find James peering down at his mostly blank parchment. He placed a hand on the back of the couch and launch himself over. "See…" He took up Harry's book and pointed at the particular paragraph Harry had skimmed again and again. "See it says here… 'Reduce the flourish of your wand when performing the Tipsiria spell.' At least that's the simple wording of in inside all this gobbledy gook." Which was what the paragraph was.. a lot of big words and semi colons that had had Harry at a lose.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Transfiguration is my favorite."

"Really?" Harry stared at him for a moment before he remembered what Ollivander had told him about his dad's wand way back when he had gotten his own... About it being good for Transfiguration... and his mother's was great for Charms. But would that make Charms her favorite class like Transfiguration was his? It was an interesting concept he'd never considered before.

"Mhmm." James nodded and took out his own Transfiguration things to start work on the essay. He quill flew across the paper as though he wasn't even thinking about it. Harry watched him for a moment before turning back to his own work. He gave up after a while, his mind turning to mush. He'd wait for Hermiones typically easier to under stand (as she explained them) notes before he bothered to try and finish it up. Ron seemed to have the same idea because he had gotten out his chess game and was prompting Remus to join him. The werewolf did so, sitting down on the hearth rug and setting up his pieces.

Harry sat and watched two games (both of which Ron predictably won) before the bell rang and they gathered up their things to head down for lunch. The stroll was long, but it only took Harry until they were out the portrait hole to notice someone had gone missing.

"Hey, where'd L-Sage go?"

"Transfiguration."

"But we just came from there."

"Let me rephrase that... Remedial Transfiguration. Because someone…" Remus looked pointed at James. "...won't help her."

"Like she'd let me." James stated back in a slightly agitated way that indicated that this was not the first time they had had this conversation. "You saw what happened the last time I tried."

"What happened?" Harry asked curiously, not able to help himself, though his gut said he'd most likely not be too thrilled with the answer.

"Somehow managed to get the book wedged into my skull. She's stronger than she looks bloody Evans is."

"Ouch." Harry's stomach clenched at the thought. Having something like that… text books were large.. lodged into your head… well.. it was a rather unpleasant thought.

"Promfrey sent him out to St. Mungos and he had to stay a week."

"Which is why we leave McGonagall to the teaching. Though I don't see why you couldn't do it Moony, she adoooores you."

"I'm bad at wording things into the simplest of forms when I understand them perfectly fine when they're complicated."

"Remy! Remy! Look!" Aforementioned 'bloody Evans' came running towards them, brown hair flying out behind her, blue eyes gleaming brightly, face alight with happiness. She held something in her hands and immediately shoved it towards Remus. He took it and stared at it with a smile.

"That's great Lils! Look Prongs!" He held up the thing she had given him. Harry blinked. It was a turtle… mostly porcelain with a handle coming out of it's back and flowers running along the edge of it's still turtley shell.

"Wow, real progress." James blinked looking at the turtle and taking it from Remus. He examined it closely, tapping it in a few places. "You're getting better." He held the turtley handled thing to Harry who passed it one wards to Ron after making a good show of looking it over and being pleased with it. Ron, however, was as blunt as ever.

"It's still not done all the way through though…"

"Well, of course it isn't, I can't get it all in one go like the rest of you lot do after practicing for a while." Lily took her turtley back and turned to hug Remus tightly round the chest. "But this one only took me five times rather than twenty!"

"That's really wonderful Lils." Remus nodded, hugging her back with a big smile. "Really."

"Thanks." Lily let go of him, still smiling. "McGonagall says it's only the shell and the shape that still needs work. The rest of him's all glassy." She patted the turtle's head fondly. "She said I could keep him to practice on. He's used to it."

"How many years of work is he going on?"

"Thirty. I can turn him back into a turtle, no problem. I'm going to name him Harold. She said he'd like a quieter life, though they normally live to be about a hundred even with being practiced on almost everyday." Harry blinked. A turtle named Harold? Was it possible that.. no… it couldn't be. But... it was old enough… could McGonagall have given his mother a turtle twenty years ago? And if so, would she have named it that same thing? Surely she must have, right?

"I.. I'll be right back. I've just remembered something." Harry stated casualy before heading off in the direction of McGonagall's class room. He arrived there in no time flat, having been on the same floor in the first place. "Er.. Professor?"

"Yes, what is it Potter?" McGonagall looked up from reading what seemed to be an older essay. No one would have turned their homework in that fast.

"Professor, that turtle you just gave my… Lily... well, she's gone and named it…"

"Harold?"

"Yes. And I was just…"

"Curious?"

"Er… well.. yes."

"Potter…" McGonagall set down the roll of parchment she was reading on her desk and looked at him as thought she understood exactly what he wanted to hear. "I did indeed give your mother that exact turtle twenty years ago to this very hour. He was meant to be a tool, but alas, he became more of a pet. She still had him when she had you. I remember the conversation I had with her very cleary. She'd asked for me and I went to St. Mungos and there you were. Pink faced and wailing in her arms… and you're wild hair, it was... Back on track, she wanted to give the turtle back you see, because she wanted you to have her favorite name, for there to be no confusion. But then when I went to leave your father refused to let me take the turtle because she loved it so. He suggested naming you Harry instead. Still the same general idea, just a bit different. He would have called you that anyway had you been named Harold. So, she got to keep the turtle until she parted with him before you went into hiding, thinking he'd be better off being able to go out doors sometimes rather than being cooped up inside indefinitely."

"So... what you're saying is, that I'm named after... a... a turtle?"

"Yes Potter, you are indeed named after a turtle." McGonagall's lips twitched slightly at this. "Now Potter, I must get back to reading this over. Though I must say the look on your face has just made my day, thank you."

Harry stood there stunned, his mouth slightly agape, eyes blinking in confusion. They're named him after a turtle…

"…a bloody turtle!?"

"Yes. A turtle. That one actually." Harry pointed to the now green little fellow who was happily being fed lettuce from Lily's hand. The the group had met up with Hermione at lunch who was snickering behind her hand.

"I'm sorry Harry, but that's just…"

"Nuts?"

"Hilarious." Harry sighed, glad the others weren't listening. The Marauders had eaten and hurried off to do something or other, Harry suspected it to be some sort of prank, and Lily was so occupied with the turtle that she wasn't really paying attention to much else. Though they had been careful to keep their voices extra low as they whispered.

"What's hilarious?" Lily looked up from fawning over Harold, her finger still running along his little head as he munched.

"Nothing." Harry said quickly. She shrugged and went back to turtle loving. Harry sighed again. It was going to be a long two months.

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Hope you liked it. Did you find my favorite quote? It's towards the end and kind of obvious. Well, yo can go push the happy little periwinkle blue button down there... \/ I'd really like it if you did.

Loves,

S.Q.O.


	8. Of Girls and Flowers

Disclaimer: All caracters belong to Rowling. 'nuff said.

Whew, finally an update. Life gets busy, no? Anyways, enjoy!

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**Chapter Eight:**

**Of Girls and Flowers**

"Who... is that?" Harry turned his head to look at Sirius whose eyes seemed to be bugging out, wide and staring across the lawn in the direction of the lake. It had been a long day of classes and the group had decided to take time in the nice weather while it lasted, by sitting under the beech tree they were so fond of. Looking down at the lake Harry caught sight of a group of girls tossing what appeared to be a 'borrowed' Quaffle back and forth. Upon closer inspection, the group included Katie Bell, chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Ginny Weasley, and a few others he'd seen but couldn't really put an exact name to an exact face.

"Which one?"

"The redhead."

"That's my sister." Ron immediately sat up, staring at Sirius warningly. As an adult, the dog had told them plenty of stories his mother would not have approved of, not because they were dirty or anything, but just the way he talked about what he had thought of the woman at the time, though he knew better. This Sirius, was younger, and definitely didn't know better. And he appearently didn't get Ron's look.

"She's hooooooot." He clicked the 't', whistling afterwards. Harry looked across the grass towards Ginny who paused after she tossed the Quaffle and waved at them. He waved back, his stomach doing a strange, confusing flip flop and then growling when he returned his gaze to Sirius.

"My _little _sister." Ron repeated, turning his body to block her from view. Sirius seemed jarred for a moment before turning his head.

"And who's the blonde?"

"Katie Bell."

"Hey guys." Ginny flopped herself down on the grass (Sirius purposely averted his eyes and tried to look intrigued by Katie while Ron stared at him to be sure) beside Hermione who had her head on Lily's back and a book propped up on her knees, completely engrossed in it while the girl currently beneath her lay on her stomach, chin on her arms, watching her turtle slowly amble his way around in the grass, keeping close to them. Ginny's head ended up on Hermione's stomach, the book being dropped and conversation of the girl version being picked up. It stopped though, when Neville came barreling over and tripped on James who had himself spread out on the ground as well.

"Sprout said we could plant them!" Apparently the fact that he had just nearly gotten a mouthful of dirt had unphased him due to this wonderful news.

"Plant what? Remus asked curiously, tilting his head and staring down at the boy.

"Friendship flowers!" Harry sat confused for a second before he remembered the rose Neville had had on the train.

"Oh!" Lily sat up suddenly, causing Hermione's head to slam onto the ground. "Those are the ones that drink the potion and change color, right?"

"Yeah! We're going to plant mine and let them grow in a specific region of the grounds. She's even gonna try and talk Snape into brewing the activation potion so that we can hand them out to everyone who wants one. "

"Oh my Merlin that's so cool! I want one! For every one of my friends." Lily clapped her hands together.

"Yeah. Me too. But it's up to Snape to brew the potion, so I don't know as it's going to actually happen." Neville sighed. "He despised me, and anything fun."

"Oh pish posh." Lily waved her hand. "He'll do it." She rose to her feet and patted her turtle on the head. "You guys watch Harold while I go make Sevvy be play nice." She grinned micheviously and skipped off before anyone could say another word.

James growled, sounding very much like whatever had growled inside Harry earlier, and pushed himself up off the ground. "I think I'll just…"

"She'd kill you mate." James frowned and looked after the bobbing head of brown hair heading for the castle doors.

"Moony?" There was a groan followed by a book shutting as Remus got up.

"I'm on it, but you owe me big time Prongs, big time." He dropped is book down beside Harold and ran off to catch up to Lily.

"Anyways!" Harry stated loudly to jar James from watching Remus run off and Sirius who's eyes kept shifting to Ginny. "I'm holding Quidditch tryouts tomorrow. We're down two seekers and both beaters, so we're really in need of them. And then the rest are pretty much set, but they still have to try out as well in case someone better comes along." Ron gulped and Harry sighed. "It's just nerves, mate, just nerves."

"He's right. You're a splendid Keeper, Ron. Just keep your focus." Hermione smiled at him and Ron's ears tinged pink at the compliment.

"I'm up for Chaser. Unfortunetly, I haven't got a broom." James frowned. "I lost it on the train.

"I did as well, and I'm a Beater." Sirius went from horny puppy to sad puppy in two seconds flat.

"Ok, so we need to find two decent brooms for you to borrow that don't belong to the school…"

"Fred and George!" Ron grinned, brightening now that he had a good idea. "They'd do anything for the Quidditch team. I'll go write them right now and see if we can get them here by morning. Harry, can I use Hedwig? The last time Pig went to their shop he exploded the entire of their backroom by landing on an unfinished experiment."

"Sure thing."

"What kind of shop?"

"A joke shop."

"Right." Sirius got up. "I'm coming with you. Anyone who has a joke shop is worthy of my time." Hermione followed suit.

"I'll come as well. I have a letter I've been meaning to send to mum and dad." They started off, leaving the remaining three behind under the tree until the squealing of a pair of fifth year girls had Ginny bolting to see what was up.

Harry looked at James, James looked up at Harry from his place sprawled on the ground.

"Sooooo…..who's your mother?" Harry sighed.

"A one night stand stranger who left me on your doorstep in a basket with a note telling you what a prick you were."

"No, really, who's your mother?"

"I'm not telling you. You have to sort that out on your own."

"You have her eyes."

"Who's eyes?"

"Evans's." Harry blinked and hesitated which caused James to sit up fast. "It is! Isn't it!? There's hope after all!"

"I didn't say you were right."

"Didn't say I was wrong either! Yes yes yes!!!!" At this point, Prongs had gotten to his feet and started dancing circles around Harry as though he'd won the Quidditch World Cup single handedly. Harry sighed. What had he just gotten himself into?

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Hope you liked it. ^_^ As always, reveiw? It'll make me love you.

Later,

SQO


	9. Of Eyes and Tryouts

Disclaimer: Rowling's. Not mine.

Still for Cassidee.

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**Chapter Nine:**

**Of Eyes and Tryouts**

"Her eyes, her eyes, you have her eyes." James sing songed the next morning as he, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius made their way down to the Quidditch pitch. Fred and George had come through on sending their brooms over night. Remus and Lily would be along shortly, needing to somehow get Harold out of a stone-like state, only problem was, Lily couldn't remember whether she'd been trying to change him into a statue or if she'd been shooting for a bowl because she'd been torn between the two when she'd done the spell on the first place. She barged frantically into the boys' dorm that morning, brandishing the turtle whose head was still actively alive and was not the least bit happy about it.

"Prongs, you've been at that since yesterday, who has who's eyes!?" Sirius growled, finally getting fed up. James had bluntly refused outright; to tell anyone whom he was speaking of and this had led to everyone who'd had to be around him within the past twelve hours irritable to the point where they were all on the edge of putting a silencing spell on him.

"Dad if you don't shut up, you're not trying out!" Harry broke finally, turning on him viciously. It was bad enough he kept repeating it over and over for the entire world to hear. It'd be worse if they knew who he was even talking about. James closed his mouth, frowning at Harry.

"Ha! You called him 'dad'!" Sirius burst out laughing, bent over and nearly falling to the ground as Harry felt his face heating up. It'd been an automatic reaction in anger.

"Well, technically, he is." Hermione stated matter of factly.

"Then isn't it the other way around? I should be punishing you instead of you me?" James waggled his eyebrows and grinned brightly at Harry.

"You know, you're a bit of an insufferable prat sometimes, _Dad_." Sirius blinked and tilted his head.

"You know, you sound just like-"

"He has her eyeeeeees, the boy has L-"

"JAMES! ENOUGH!"

"-ily's emerald eyes!" James purposely got louder and Sirius gasped, turning to grab Harry's head.

"Bloody hell Prongs! He does! Those are Lily's eyes! Holy shit!" His face went from shock to a mischievous grin that had Harry groaning. "Oooooooh if she finds out…"

"She won't." James automatically sobered causing Harry to blink in surprise. "It wouldn't be fair."

"But it could be sooooo much fun if…" James turned on his best friend, grabbing him by the collar and staring him down.

"If you say one word to my girl about Harry being her kid, I will personally neuter you in front of the entire female population of Hogwarts, is that clear?" Sirius gulped and nodded.

"I wasn't actually going to; you know I wouldn't do that. I was just saying how funny it would be. But you're right, it wouldn't be fair for her to know. She despises you so much she'd probably jump off the Astronomy tower and go splat. We don't need a splatty Lily."

"Potter! You need to fix Remy's arm!" Shouted Lily as she came barreling down the slope, dragging a half stone armed Remus behind her. James stared at the others, then back at the two heading for them and burst out laughing and tugging out his wand he simply an unspoken spell at Remus whose arm immediately returned to normal.

"She's just so damn cute isn't she?" James whispered and grinned at Sirius who nodded as though saying otherwise would be dangerous, which it would. Lily came to a skidding halt in front of them thirty seconds later and brandished Remus's arm.

"Fix… oh." She blinked in shock when she found a non-stone arm in her hand. "Well, I guess that works."

"Honestly Evans, I don't see how you could suck so badly at Transfiguration when you're brilliant at everything else."

"It's a gift." Lily shrugged. "At least Harold is back to being a turtle." She held up her little green friend and then hugged him to her. One had to admit, the turtle did seem to like her a lot, despite her lack of Transfiguration skills. They were quite the rest of the way to the pitch, arriving a tad bit late later than the twelve some odd Gryffindors who had turned up to try out.

"Harry, I think you might need this." Hermione held up a Snitch shaped whistle and he smiled, taking it from her.

"Yeah, thanks." Harry grinned and Hermione, Lily, and Remus headed for the stands to watch.

"Alright, let's get this started. Keepers and Beaters over there for now, Chasers over here, we're going to start with you first." Harry waited a moment, letting them get to their places. He counted the Chasers and smiled. "Ok, looks like we have six of you, which is perfect. Three against three, break yourselves off and we'll start this just like we would a normal match. I need Ron and another Keeper and a pair of Beaters!" He called back to the others waiting. Ron and a burly sixth year boy who pushed another Keeper down came barreling over as well as Sirius, but no other stood up to be a Beater. Harry blinked. "Don't we have anyone else who wants to be Beater?" The three remaining on the bench shook their heads and Harry sighed. If they didn't have someone to be a second Beater, they were screwed. Maybe someone who did was running late. "How about any of you Chasers?"

"It's too dangerous, with those bloody Bludgers." Seamus Finnegan explained. "Fred and George were perfect; they were already like Bludgers themselves."

"Alright, never mind it for now then. I'll figure…"

"!" Sirius started bouncing up and down, waving at their friends sitting in the stands. "Evans we neeeeeed you!" Harry blinked in shock as Lily got up and hopped down the benches and made her way over.

"What's going on?"

"We need a Beater."

"But I haven't been Beater since fourth year…"

"You only quit cause you didn't want to deal with the Captain." Sirius picked up the bats from where they sat on the trunk holding the balls and tossed her one. She caught it easily. "But he's not Captain now, Harry is."

"But I haven't got a broom." Harry turned to the three still on the bench.

"Can one of you lend us a broom? Please?" The three looked at him for a moment before the oldest stood up and offered her broom. Harry took it from her and handed it to Lily with a smile. "Let's see what you got. Chaser and Keepers get in your positions, Beaters come here a second." Harry dropped his voice to a whisper as the others headed for the middle of the pitch. "I need you two to be human Bludgers. Do everything in your power to make them have to dodge you, bump into them a little, everything. I don't know how skilled these guys are at flying, so we'll wait and see before we get out the actual Bludgers. Now get out there and let's do this thing." They nodded and ran to take their places on the pitch.

Harry grabbed the Quaffle and went to the very center of the pitch, acting as referee. "Ready? On my count. One, two, three!" He tossed the Quaffle up between the two center Chasers and they barreled for it. As soon as they were up and out of the way, Harry kicked off on his own broom and rose into the air, but stayed on the sidelines so as not to get too much in the way, watching each player critically.

Watching the try out match was a bit tiring. Harry tried to keep an eye on every Chaser at once, to get a good feel, but ended up paying attention to one at a time, seeing how they moved among the others, who was a ball hog or who had butter fingers. He was particularly impressed when Ginny avoided having the Quaffle taken from the opposite team by rotating herself upside down and dropping the ball to James below who spun himself to whack it with the end of his broom, sending it flying past Ron and into through one of the three golden hoops. All the while, Sirius and Lily bolted hellpell through everyone, being as much an obstacle as possible.

Half an hour and a bruised up fourth year later, Harry blew the whistle Hermione had given him and everyone moved to land back down around him.

"That was great everyone! Alright, now we're going to start the Keeper try outs to test your scoring abilities as well as their blocking abilities." Harry looked at the signup sheet that had been posted in the common room and everyone had put their names down on for the try outs. "First up I want to see Alysha Spencer. Go on Alysha, in the goals." The girl who had given up her broom got up off the bench and Lily hurried forward to hand the broom over. Alysha smiled in thanks, mounted and flew off to take over Ron's place in the goals for now. "Alright, now, I want you Chasers to give her your best using these. They're the same weight and size as the Quaffle." Harry motioned towards a bag of Muggle footballs. "If she doesn't catch it and throw it back to you, fetch it and get back in line to shoot. Confuse her the best you can as well, we need a Keeper who can take everything we throw at them."

"That'll be me." The burly sixth year who had helped with the main Chaser try outs pointed to himself and then offered Harry his hand. "Cormac McLaggen, at your pleasure, Potter." Harry politely took his hand a shook it.

"We'll have to wait and see if that's true. Ron's pretty good."

"He's decent. But Gryffindor needs better than decent. I would have tried out last year, but I was in the hospital wing after a potion exploded in class."

"Er… right then. Anyways…"Harry turned his attention to Alysha and the Chasers. He kicked off into the air to get a better eye on things. After Alysha, there was a pair of fifth years who tried for Keeper, but couldn't save very well. After them, it was Ron's turn, McLaggen insisting that he go last because 'one should always save the best for last.'

"Go Ron!" Hermione clapped her hands and cheered from the stands. Harry saw McLaggen's head turn in her direction but ignored it as he smiled at Ron.

"You can do it. Don't let your nerve get you." Pale, Ron nodded and took to his broom. He saved eleven out of twelve shot taken at him, only blundering in the beginning. "Great Ron!" Harry called, motioning that his turn was over. McLaggen was already headed for the goals.

"Now you'll see what a perfect Keeper looks like Potter." He grinned cockily and took his place. By the time he had ten out of ten attempts so far, Harry was getting worried. He wanted the team to be great, but he also wanted Ron to do well.

He blinked as his eyes were distracted by movement coming from the stands, but found it was only Hermione, moving her way across to get a closer look apparently. He turned his attention back to McLaggen who swerved and missed the Ginny's shot. The football went through the hoop and then soared to the ground, Ginny flying after it.

Dean tossed his ball and gave it a swift kick, McLaggen didn't even go the correct direction to catch it, moving totally opposite as though he was beyond confused. Harry blinked. What had just happened? He flew down to the ground grinning though. "You all did wonderful. But we can only have so many team mates. Since we haven't got any other Beater options, Sir-..Sam and Sage will take over those. Sage, we'll get you a decent broom by Monday's practice. All of you Chasers are well skilled, but Katie, Jacob, and Ginny really put themselves out there. Dean, Seamus, and Rachel, you guys are our reserves if something should happen to any of them. Ron, you saved the most shots, you're still Keeper, and McLaggen, you're our reserve."

"You're playing favorites!" McLaggen glared as he stumbled over to one of the nearby benches. "You've picked all your friends!" There was a slight murmuring.

"Listen…" Ginny stepped forward. "Harry was watching us all as players, not friends. If he wants to win the cup, which we all do, he's going to pick whose best, friendships be damned. Even if he didn't pick us we wouldn't hold it against him."

"Ginny's right, Harry's always played fair." Dean added while Seamus nodded in agreement. "Ron made more saves than you and anybody else McLaggen, he deserves the spot."

"It's no use being a sore sport because that just ruins the fun of the games for everyone else." Everyone looked down to where Lily had sprawled out on the ground with Harold once again.

"Exactly." James grinned and slipped down onto the ground, lying down to face her on his stomach. "And Quidditch should always be fun."

"What happened to it being about winning?"

"It shouldn't be. Sorry about that." Lily blinked, slightly shocked, but then smiled.

"You're forgiven."

McLaggen growled. "Whatever. I will be Keeper, you just wait and see." He got up and stumbled off, as though he couldn't quite see straight.

"Alright guys." Harry grinned at the rest of them. "Again, you all did great and there's always next year if you didn't make it. Keep practicing. As for the rest of you, practice is Mondays and Wednesdays right after last class, that way we get as much daylight as possible when it starts getting darker early. Don't worry, we won't miss dinner, and if we do, we can always head down to the kitchens. Just… don't tell anyone that we did." There was a bit of laughter at that and everyone started their way back up to the school for lunch. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the Marauders fell behind, letting the rest of the Gryffindors get far ahead of them.

"Harry? How am I going to get a broom?"

"We'll either order one or talk to McGonagall."

"Actually Harry, I think I can help you there."

"Hey Professor!" Harry grinned as Lupin came striding towards them.

"I saw your try outs. Very well done, you're a good Captain, Harry."

"Naturally." James beamed and flung and arm over Harry's shoulder, tugging him down and giving him a much needed (and proud) noogie.

"Holy shit!" Remus was pointing, mouth agape. "You… you're…" He seemed incapable of putting two words together at the moment and Lupin smiled.

"Big Remy!" Lily provided and Lupin smiled as he reached them and automatically tugged her into a tight hug.

"I haven't seen you three in ages." He moved onto James and Sirius, hugging them both just as tight, and Harry knew why. He felt the same exact way. Despite the noogie, he hadn't wanted James to let go.

"Why not?" Remus inquired curiously.

"Oh, just busy, what with getting my curriculum set up for this year."

"I'm a teacher?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Cool!"

"Anyways, I just thought I'd say hi. Don't worry about the brooms, I'll take care of it." Harry frowned.

"But how?"

"You'll see. Now you lot get to lunch. I have some business I need to go over with Hagrid. Our classes mesh a bit as far as creatures go, you know." Lupin gave them a wave and continued onwards down the slope.

"Wow! Me! Old!" Remus seemed a bit beyond himself. "And I'm a Professor!"

"I wonder if we'll get to meet old me?" Sirius pondered aloud. "I bet I've gotten even more dead sexy." He waggled his eyebrows and Harry look at Ron and Hermione as they forced themselves to laugh with the others. No way were they about to tell Sirius he'd died a few months ago.

* * *

Holy crap, two chapters so close together.

old-crow: While I appreciate your suggestions, I think I'll just keep doing it my own way. For me it's not about how many veiws I get, it's having fun writing and putting it up for others to enjoy.

crazykid: Holy reveiws. Thanks! I actually adore Snape. He's really not as bad as people think.

As always, I hope you enjoyed it and if you want to reveiw, go ahead.

Later,

SQO.


	10. Of Brooms and Balls

Disclaimer: I think we've pretty much established that the characters aren't mine. Capiche? Capiche.

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**Chapter Ten:**

**Of Brooms and Balls.**

"Aren't you two supposed to be in detention with Snape right now?" Remus looked up from the book he was reading by the fire. It was Saturday night, and a few minutes past eight already, and yet James and Sirius were still there, sitting on the floor and pouring over a sheet of parchment.

"Nah. We've decided not to go."

"Won't you just get twice the detention time if you don't?"

"Yep."

"Then why don't you go?"

"Who says we have to serve any of it? Besides, we'll be gone before Christmas. What's the point in serving a detention we have no belief in? If it was McGonagall, sure, but it's Snape. He isn't worth our time."

"But he's a professor and you need to…"

"We don't need to do anything involving Snivellus, Evans. He's a Death Eater! Remember?"

"But he's good."

"Believe what you want, but I for one, am not going to."

"You're a jerk, Potter." James sighed, choosing to ignore her and return his attention to Sirius and their parchment.

"What are you two up to anyways?" Remus inquired curiously, moving from his chair to the floor to join them. They grinned and took him into their whispering huddle. Hermione eyed them warily but said nothing, too engrossed in writing an essay at the moment.

They sat there in peaceful silence for a while, nothing but the crackling of the fire. It was late, and mostly everyone else had gone to bed by now, so they were very much alone in the common room. Their quiet was suddenly disturbed, however, by a loud tapping upon the window. They all looked up and James rose, bounding across the room.

"It's only an owl. " He tugged the window open and in flew Hedwig, as well as several other owls, carrying a large, long package. The snowy owl led the other to Harry where they dropped the package. Hedwig proceeded to land happily on Harry's shoulder and give him and affectionate nip on the ear while he turned to untie the letter from her leg.

"Oh she's beautiful." Lily left her chair and flopped down on the couch beside Harry, reaching a finger out to stroke Hedwig who hooted docilely.

"Thanks." Harry smiled.

"She's your's?"

"Yeah. Hedwig." Harry petted the owl proudly and tugged open the letter.

_Harry,_

_This was a much easier task than I assumed it would be. I was able to get these from the Black and Potter vaults at Gringotts, your parents and Sirius both left me keys. I know you're going to need them._

_Lupin._

"It's from Lupin!"

"From me?"

"Old you. It says he figured we'd need these, and that they were more easy to get access to than he thought they'd be."

"But what are they exactly?" Ron moved foreward to join them on the couch and Harry shrugged, reaching to open the package.

"Dunno…" He untied the strings and stripped back the packaging to find three more inside, each with a name written upon them. "They're for James, Lily, and Sirius." Harry handed each one to it's respectful owner and the three tore open the packaging without any haste.

"My Sidesweep 200!" James exclaimed in shock, holding the old broom in his hands as though it was the most precious thing he'd ever seen. "I'd thought I'd lost it for good! Look Sirius! It still has my name engraved on it and everything! Not a single scratch either!" Harry had to admit, it was a beautiful broom, even if it was old and probably nowhere near as good as his Firebolt. Sirius grinned, holding up his own, pristine conditioned broomstick.

"I know, mate. It's incredible. I can't believe old Moony found my Pegasus, I thought my mum sold it. It's the first broom I ever had, never had one better than it after that. But see here, it says right on it, S.O.B."

"That's because you're a son of a bitch."

"Ain't it the truth." Sirius nodded, laughing.

"Why are they engraved? Nobody I know has ever engraved their broom…" Hermione frowned and James opened his mouth, but it was Ron who spoke up first.

"It used to be all the rage to engrave a broom with your name on it. That way if it got lost, they'd know who it belonged to. But it's fallen out of being popular due to it lowering the broom's value, in case you want to sell it later when something better comes out. We've got a few in the shed at home that were our dad's and uncles' that have names on them."

"Well, I've never needed to put my name on mine. A Trinity 5000" Lily grinned and held up her own broom for the other to see, her face proud. It was the strangest broomstick Harry had ever seen. The handle was covered in metallic stars that seemed to change color every five seconds and the twigs were a strange shade of indigo. "Isn't it gorgeous?" Lily hugged her broomstick.

"I still don't understand why you decorated it. Brooms are for flying, not for making… gorgeous." Sirius frowned and Lily sniffed, defiantly raising her chin.

"I'm just as much allowed to decorate my broom as you are to engrave yours. I just wonder where old Remus got it."

"I just don't see the point. I mean, it looks crazy…"

"She's right, Padfoot. Besides, I like her broom, it's unique. As for how old Moony got them, we probably kept them and he still has contact with old us." James shrugged and sat down, admiring his broom to the point where Harry had the feeling that it was his most prized possession. Harry could understand why. He, himself, was very fond of his Firebolt.

"Anyways, I think it's time for bed." Remus cut in, sensing an argument about to ensue as he looked between his two best friends. "I'm bushed." He stretched and yawned, moving to gather his books and bag. The others nodded in agreement, it had been quite the day, what with Quidditch tryouts and all.

Just before they were about to head up, another tapping came upon the window. James went to answer it again and let in Ron's tiny little owl, Pigwidgeon, better known as Pig.

"Hey, he's got a letter for us from Dumbledore! It says Snape's fallen down the well behind Hagrid's house and that if we want to pay our respects we should fill a bunch of water balloons with goo and…."

"Prongs, get to the actual letter."

"He wants to see us after dinner tomorrow, see how our first couple weeks went."

"Ok. And how about those goo filled water balloons?"

"You are not pelting Severus with goo balloons!"

"Aw, c'mon Evans. It's not like he doesn't deserve it."

"Well, I trust him, and Dumbledore trusts him, so you all should as well. You don't know him."

"Evans, you don't know him anymore either. He's thirty six. That's twenty years of time you're missing."

"He's still Severus no matter what you say."

"Lily," Remus moved forward, putting an arm around her. "You know just as well as all of us that people change and just because Dumbledore trusts him, doesn't mean Snape can be trusted by us. No one in his right mind would ever try to betray or harm Dumbledore because they'd get their ass kicked. Now, I'm pretty sure Snape has skills we don't, and I'll bet he knows some pretty nasty ones at that, so while Dumbledore may be able to trust him, we shouldn't necessarily do the same. After all, he couldn't care less if James, Sirius, or myself lived. In fact, I think he'd be rather pleased to be rid of us most of the time. Don't let his love for you blind you from what he is capable of."

"But Remy…"

"I'm not saying stop loving him and wanting him to be good, just be aware and careful is all. The idea of you getting harmed because you trust too much of him when so many things have possibly happened over the past twenty years, makes the rest of us feel like shit. We love you too much for that to happen."

Lily frowned, but nodded in acceptance, hugging Remus tight around the middle. "Good night."

"Night Lils." They watched her and Hermione turn and head on up the girls' staircase before moving for the boys'.

"Well, we might as well send Fred and George back their brooms since we don't need them anymore." James stated as they reached the dorm door. He pressed it open, entered the room, and let out a holler. The others rushed foreward.

"What is it?!" They found James standing in the middle of the room, a piece of orange parchement in his hand, similar ones place upon everyone else's pillows.

"A notice…"

"About what?"

"…A Halloween Ball."

"Yeah, so?"

"A masked, costume, no date allowed beforehand Halloween Ball."

"Oh Merlin…"

"THIS IS MY CHANCE!" James started jumping up and down about the room. "My chance!"

"Ugh, we're going to have to dance." Ron grimaced and flopped down on his bed. "I vote we just don't go. I can't stand balls." Harry nodded, remembering the way the last ball he and Ron had gone to had ended. He'd had a poor time, and Ron had had an all out shouting match with Hermione at the end.

"Would you lot shut it? Some of us are trying to sleep?" They had forgotten that they shared the dorm with Seamus, Dean, and Neville, who had already come up about an hour ago. Whispering amongst themselves now, Harry and the other boys donned their pajamas and climbed into their beds, all but James muttering about how a ball was an unwanted occurrence.

However, across the tower in the sixth year girl's dorm, all the inhabitants were wide awake.

"A ball, a ball, a ball!" Lily spun in a circle delightfully, clad in her pajamas with a tooth brush in hand. The other girls avoided her, not wanting to get covered in toothpaste. Parvati and Lavender had been giggling when she and Hermione had entered the room. They had immediately been shown the ball notice.

"It's going to be spectacular!" Lavender smiled as she plaited Parvati's hair. "Remember the last ball? Wasn't it excellent?"

"When I found someone better to hang out with at it than Harry and Ron." Parvati grimaced and then laughed. "Honestly, the least they could have done is danced with Padme and me more than once, well, I danced once with Harry, Ron wouldn't even take Padme out onto the floor. They just sat there, and didn't even care when we wandered off."

"I don't think either of them likes balls to be honest, I mean, it's not something you'd have expected fourteen year old boys to be excited about. Maybe they'll like it better this year…" Hermione pondered. "But it should be fun."

"I just hope I don't end up talking to some stinking Slytherin all night. That would be positively awful, don't you think? It'll be hard to tell which house someone is from when we're all masked."

"And our voices are changed."

"Hmm?"

"It says our masks will be stuck to our faces until midnight, upon which we will remove them, and that the Great Hall will be enchanted to change how our voices sound so that nobody can tell who is who unless you walked in with them. But I'm sure if we just pay attention to what a person is saying we can guess at least to whether they're a stinking Slytherin. After all, they don't always have the best manners, do they? And they're bound to talk more about pure blood or something that'll key us in."

"I suppose. But you can't always judge a book by it's cover. Some of them might be perfectly nice when in costume."

"Ew."

"Anyways… I'm going to go to sleep now." Parvati yawned and climbed off of Lavender's bed, her hair finished. She hopped onto the bed to the left of Lavender's and snuggled down into it. Lily went into the bathroom to finish with her tooth brush, and Lavender and Hermione climbed into bed as well, their dreams full of dances.

* * *

Mwahahaha! Another one! I'm so proud of myself right now. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! Reveiw if you want to.

Laters,

SQO.


	11. Of Quidditch and Parties

Disclaimer: We've been over this already. Like, ten times. Les characters est Rowling's.

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Future of the Past

_Of Quidditch and Parties._

"Alright team, quiet down." Harry shouted above the noise of the locker room. They had five minutes to their first match against Ravenclaw and he wasn't about to send them out without a little bit of egging on first. He waited until they had all taken their seats on the bench before he began. "This is it guys. You've all been training hard, and I just wanted to say that I'm proud of every single one of you for the effort you've put in, even with the extra practices. So today, if we win, we party-"

"And if we lose we dunk our heads into Moaning Myrtle's toilet and give her a big ole smooch!" Sirius offered.

"Hear hear!" James raised his wand in agreement with his best friend.

"Now let's go out there and show em what we're made of!"

"Because lions eat birds!" With a lot of whooping and hollering the Gryffindor Quidditch team headed out onto the pitch, taking their places at the center with Madam Hooch and the Ravenclaw team. Cheers erupted from the towering stands around them. Harry grinned and stuck out his hand to shake that of the Ravenclaw captain's. Madam Hooch nodded and blew her whistle. The fourteen players mounted their brooms. Another whistle sounded and they all kicked off. Madam Hooch flew below James and Ravenclaw's head Chaser. The whistle was blown, the ball was thrown upwards and the game was on.

"And it's Portor with the Quaffle!" The sound of Colin Creevy's voice erupted throughout the stadium and Harry grinned as he watched James swoop under a Bludger and tackle the Quaffle out of the hands of Ravenclaw's best Chaser. He kept his eyes on his team, noting how their practice seemed to have paid off nicely. Their actions were quick, and their reactions were even faster. Sirius and Lily seemed to have some sort of connection when it came to the Bludgers. He grinned as Sirius batted to Lily and she shot it right back at him as they raced down the pitch in front of James, clearing the way. When they got close enough to the Ravenclaw hoops, Sirius shot the Bludger upwards, James swerved up and pelted the Quaffle through the center hoop. The red section of the stands roared. "Porter scores! Ten points to Gryffindor! Yes! Take that Ravenclaw!"

Harry had to smile as the game continued on. The team's practicing had definitely paid off as they swerved, saved, and scored until they were almost neck and neck with Ravenclaw. Harry knew that if this kept up, whichever team caught the Snitch at this point would win. It'd be different if Ravenclaw was a hundred and fifty points ahead of them, but they weren't.

At half an hour into the game, the score was Gryffindor thirty and Ravenclaw fourty. Harry dodged a Bludger and grinned as he watched Lily go after it. He could almost hear her cackle, seriously cackle, with glee as she whacked it hard. She seemed to be enjoying envoking pain in the other team. Harry hoped it was just because she was as competitive as he was and not because she was sadistic.

"Harry!" Harry looked up as Ginny called waved at him. Once she realized she had his attention she pointed, it was then that Harry saw it. The Snitch! It was right there, glinting beside the Ravenclaw goal posts. He looked around to see if the Ravenclaw Seeker had seen it yet, and once reassured that he was quite busy with a Bludger, Harry rocketed towards the Snitch. He barreled through Chasers, causing them to drop the Quaffle, ducked another Bludger and made a straight shot for the Snitch. As soon as the Ravenclaw Keeper saw what him, he moved to black him. Harry quickly shot downwards, under him, and nearly skimmed the top of his head on the boy's butt as he came back up, hand outstretched. And then his fingers fell around gold and he let out a cry of triumph just before the Quaffle whacked him in the head.

"Potter has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins at a hundred and ninety points to fourty!" The red portion of the crowd erupted.

Looking around as the Quaffle fell to the grounded and landed, Harry saw his teammates heading towards him, had the slight feeling that one gets one they're about to be mauled by a stampede of cows, and then felt himself overcome by them. His back was patted, he was hugged. He grinned, holding the Snitch high as they flew back down to the ground. Another good game by Gryffindor.

Later that evening, the whole of Gryffindor house was in the common room. Somebody (most likely James and Sirius) had snuck down to the kitchen and gotten not only a whole table full of treats and Butterbeer, but a house elf to help them. Hermione was sitting grumpily on the corner of one of the two couches, her stare permanently fixed upon where the house elf stood, bowing and serving and pleasing them all. She was refusing to eat a single thing and hadn't even touched the Butterbeer Ron had brought her. Ron was sitting beside her, poking her repeatedly (and saying her name on every single poke) and trying to get her to pay attention to the party instead of the elf, but Hermione wasn't having it. She sat there still as stone, apparently unannoyed by his poking, though if one knew her well, he'd see the way her cheeks were slowly getting redder and redder in a way that said she might explode soon.

Sirius was standing on a table, air guitaring to the radio that was playing some form of oldies wizard rock that every pure or half blood in the room seemed to know. He was headbanging and bouncing all over the place so much it was a wonder he hadn't fallen off of the table just yet. It was probably the crowd of girls around the edges clapping and singing along with him that kept him from going over.

Remus had taken to trying to pry it out of Lily as to why she had swiped the Quaffle after the game and was currently clutching onto it as if he was going to take it away.

"Yes, but why?"

"Because I like it? I'll give it back next practice."

"Then why does it have a smiley face on it?"

"You'll never take us alive!" Lily bolted from her chair and Remus took off after her and they started doing circles around the room. Harry laughed and turned to James who had just taken a seat beside him and was shaking his head with laughter.

"Is this normal?"

"Oh yeah. She seems to have almost the same reaction to Butterbeer as a house elf, if you can believe that. She never gets quite close enough to actually say she's drunk, just giddy, goofy, and tipsy. She didn't actually take the Quaffle. I brought it up for us to play with, but obviously it's been commandeered. Whoever gave her a pen is going to be in trouble though, Quaffle's aren't exactly the easiest thing to clean, even magically. Is that normal?" James nodded across the way to where Ron and Hermione were sitting. Harry laughed and nodded. Hermione's face was reaching it's redness limit.

"Yes. You might want to cover your…"

"RONALD WEASLEY CUT THAT OUT!"

"There you are! I was beginning to think we'd lost you forever, and then where would my homework be?"

"ARGH!" Hermione stood up from her seat and marched out and up the girls' staircase. Ron sighed and watched her go. He stretched himself out on the couch, resting his back on the arm and stretching his legs right on out before he looked at Harry and James.

"I just don't know about that one. What's got her knickers in a bunch anyway?"

"The house elf."

"Oh, not that bloody stuff a-." Ron was cut off at the Quaffle bounced off the back of his head. He blinked, seeming suddenly dazed.

"Anna Lucia!" Lily came running, jumping over the back of the couch, stepping right on Ron's lap, and continuing on after the bouncing Quaffle. Harry and James ducked to either side as both the Quaffle and Lily bolted between them over the couch they were on. Ron's face had gone very red, and his cheeks were puffing out as though he were holding back a scream. Realizing what had happened with a glance, Harry burst out laughing.

"Deep breath, mate." Ron didn't seem to hear him. Instead, he rolled right off of the couch and curled up into a ball , face down, hands between his legs. He let out a strangled groan as Remus hopped both him and the couch, and then the next one as he went after Lily muttering something that sounded very much like 'oh great, she's named it too.'

"Think he'll catch her?"

"He won't. He just chases her cause he knows she gets a kick out of running."

The party started to die down after a couple of hours. The younger kids made their way up to bed fairly soon into it, unable to actually stay awake. Sirius was alternating between making out with a blonde and a red head, both of which seemed unabashed by having to share. Remus was collecting butterbeer bottles with the house elf who kept telling him he didn't have to help. James was finishing up checking over Harry's Transfiguration essay of the week. Lily was out cold underneath the food table, Quaffle clutched tightly to her chest. The whole room in general was a mess. Gryffindors really knew how to party.

Ron, who had recovered from the brutal attack of Lily's footing, downed the last of his Butterbeer and streatched, rising from the couch. He looked at Harry and James and shook his head. "Homework during a bloody party, you're almost as bad at Hermione."

"It's the last of the homework assigned for this weekend, which means I'll be free to do as I please." Harry grinned at him and rose from the couch as well. "Besides, it's not so bad, at least James translates the Transfiguration into words we can understand."

"How d'you think Sirius scrapes by every year?' James grinned, blowing dry the last of Harry's essay and rolling it up. "It'll do. Here." He handed it to Harry who bent down and pushed the roll into his bag. He looked around the mess of the room and then got down on his hands and knees, crawling across it and under the table which Lily had conked. He went to pry the Quaffle from her, but gave up after a couple more half hearted attempts. "Whew, Remus, she's really out this time."

"I know. I figured we could just leave her down here for the night."

"Probably the best plan since we wouldn't make it up the girls' stairs." James nodded and budged the table out of the way before swiftly scooping up Lily in his arms and carrying her over to the couch where he deposited her gently. He grabbed a pillow from a nearby chair and tucked it beneath her head before taking off his robes and tucking them in around her and the Quaffle. Smiling softly, he bent over her, brushed the hair from her forehead and then kissed her brow gently. "Good night, Lily-flower." Harry smiled, it was nice to see his parents interacting the way he had been wanting them to, even if one was oblivious to the other at the moment.

"And for when she wakes up…" Remus deposited the butterbeer caps he'd been gathering down on the coffee table. There had to be at least fifty of them. "Another party to add to her collection." He smiled and patted Lily's head and Harry blinked. They were treating her as if she were some sort of small child…

"Why do you act that way to her?" James and Remus blinked and looked up.

"What way?"

"Like she's your kid or something."

"Oh…" Remus looked at James and then sat down on the couch by Lily's feet. "I guess it sort of just turned into a habit. See… her parents got killed in a Death Eater attack last spring, or well, what was our last spring, right after her sister's wedding. She sort of retreated into this shell of childishness to cover up the depression… and when none of her girl friends asked her to come stay for the summer and that brother-in-law of her's refused to have her, I dragged her home with me. And it just sort of made me want to baby her for a bit, until the childishness just sort of became an added part to who she is. We spent the second half of the summer at the Potter's, so James and Sirius got used to it too. I think she'll grow out of it in due time, but for now, it'd be less than productive to try and force her out of it, because she might just retreat further into her shell then."

"I don't mind if she stays this way though…" James smiled. "She's still Lily. Just more amusingly so."

Harry nodded. So his grandparents had been killed… that way why he hadn't been able to go and live with them instead of with his aunt. Which meant the Potters Remus spoke of, must have been killed sometime between 1976 and 1981. He shuddered at this knowledge, hating knowing these things when his parents and their friends didn't. Hated knowing what was going to become of them and not doing anything that might possibly prevent it from happening, because then surely, the world would not be what he knew it as now. He shook the thought from his head and forced a smile.

"Well, you'd better, otherwise I'll disappear."

"And we wouldn't want that now would we? You're one of the best Seekers I've ever seen." Harry grinned broadly as they headed up the stairs towards the dorms. That compliment from his dad… it went straight to his soul.

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Been a while, I know. So sorry. ^_^;; Read and Review loves!

Laters gators,

S.Q.O.


	12. Of Hogsmeade and Stuff

Disclaimer: We're on Chapter Twelve... I'm fairly certain you've gotten the idea by now that these guys belong to J.K. Rowling.

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Future of the Past

Chapter Twelve: Of Hogsmeade and Stuff

"So, are you ready for Hogsmeade?" Harry asked as he tugged on his cloak and grinned at James who was working on trying to muss his hair. Harry placed a hand on his arm. "Leave it, it looks fine."

"Argh! Why won't my hair look more like your's again, Harry!" James sighed and banged his head against the mirror. "I just want to look even more devilishly handsome!" He pouted and grabbed up a comb, tugging it roughly through his currently blonde, well behaved hair that Snape had given him when he had changed the appearances of the Marauders and Lily.

"Don't bother, that's my job." Sirius elbowed his way between James and the mirror, flicking his red bangs off to the side. "Though, I will admit, it's difficult to assume that position when you resemble a freaking troll doll."

"Watch it!" Ron threw his shoe across the room, narrowly missing Sirius's head. The other current red head just laughed at him and plucked at a strand of his hair in dismay.

"I'm still dead sexy… on the inside." He nodded to himself in the mirror. "Who's a sexy dog? Yes, yes you are!" He clapped his hands together and then chased himself in a circle before planting a kiss on the mirror. When he turned back around, the other three boys were stifling their laughter, hoping he would continue.

"Aren't you lot ready yet?" Remus poked his head in the door. "The girls are getting antsy. Something about costumes and whatnot."

"Yeah yeah, mum, we're coming." James tied his shoe and they all followed Remus out of the dorm and down to the common room where they met up with Hermione and Lily before heading out for the year's first Hogsmeade trip.

The cool October air blew around the seven sixth year Gryffindors as they made their way down the path that would lead them down and out of the school grounds and into the village. It didn't take them very long at all, and before they knew it, they were strolling down the currently crowded main street of the little village.

"C'mon! If we don't hurry all of the good costumes will be gone!" Lily grabbed hold of Hermione's hand and dragged her along to the closest robe shop, Quaffle from the night before tucked under her arm.

"What d'you need costumes for?" Ron raised an eyebrow at them and both girls turned to stare at him as though he had suddenly sprouted three heads.

"The ball of course! Ronald, don't tell me you've forgotten." Hermione sighed and hid her face in her hand.

"Oh… right…"

"We've all got to get costumes today, because Halloween is next Saturday! We've only got a week!"

"Can't we just transfigure ourselves costumes? Mum always did that for us when we used to trick-or-treat."

"Wizards trick-or-treat?" Harry blinked and Ron nodded.

"Wizards invented trick-or-treating. Give out candy or the mum or dad of the kid puts some kind of spell on you or your house. It's lost it's medieval ways though, there are now laws stating that the spells have to wear off in a certain amount of time and be 'safe', that sort of garbage. And once the muggles got wind of it, it sort of lost it's edge. But it's still cool for little kids."

"I didn't know that." The group stopped dead short and turned to look at Hermione who huffed. "Oh is it really that surprising?"

"Ron knowing anything you don't is surprising." Harry laughed and the group continued on their way down the street, losing the girls to a frilly looking shop halfway to Zonko's Joke Shop. The Marauders made their way into the shop, leaving Harry and Ron to themselves.

"So…" Ron stopped, his tone changing. Harry stopped as well, looking back at him and frowning. "So um… who are you going to… you know… ask to the ball?" Harry blinked, something about Ron's tone suggested that he wanted to talk about something important, but that he wouldn't dare mention it to anyone but Harry.

"No one. We're not supposed to bring dates, remember? We're supposed to meet people when we get there."

"Oh, yeah, er… right." Ron nodded and started walking again. "Cause, I was thinking, maybe, if… I mean if we were going to have dates… that one of us should probably at least suggest that I'll… I mean, one of us… will take Hermione if… if she doesn't get a date... but since there aren't dates I guess there's no need…I mean, if there was… she wouldn't have to worry about going alone… It's ok for a bloke to show up by himself… but it'd be torture on a girl… y'know, Harry?"

"Yeah, I know." Harry nodded with a smile.

"Think she'll... I mean, we'll… meet anyone we like? Y'know… really like?"

"Maybe. 'course, it's not like anyone we've never seen around before is going to be there. Everyone will probably just stick close to their friends."

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Ron nodded and Harry watched as he kicked a little patch of mud on the ground. "So, costumes… This is gonna be difficult."

"How so?"

"When we were little, we never went as anything but you."

"…I'm a Halloween costume?"

"'fraid so, mate. Maybe I'll just go as one of the character's from Beedle."

"Beedle?"

"Harry! You have to have heard of Beedle's kids stories…"

"No sorry…"

"Nevermind it then." Ron looked around and then pointed towards a promising looking shop. "Let's try there. It looks like they might have some good costumes or at least, we can get ideas and have James transfigure something for us." Harry nodded and he and Ron pushed open the door to a fairly well it little shop at the end of Hogsmeade's main street. A short wizard wearing tights and a feathered cap rushed foreward from out behind a counter.

"Gentlemen, gooda day to you! What can I do for you? There is no outfit tooa outrageous for Ollie's Outfitters!"

"Er… hi." Harry grinned and prodded Ron who nodded in greeting. "We're actually just looking for Halloween cos-"

"This way! Right this way! I hava the best costumes!" The little wizard got behind them and pressed his hands into the smalls of their backs, ushering them forewards, further into the shop, past all the remotely sane looking robes and towards racks of crazy colors and shapes."Ollie shall find you both, the perfecta costume, yes? Yes!"

"Yes?" Ron looked at Harry and mouthed something that looked like 'crazy' and Harry stifled a snicker.

"Yes!" Ollie spun them around into an open area of the shop and prodded them until they were each standing on some sort of small pedestal. "Offa with the clocks! I must get a good look at you both so we can decide whata to make you." Harry looked at Ron who shrugged and they both discarded of their cloaks. The little man circled them and then clapped his hands together. "Twoa Harry Potters coming right up!" Ron snorted.

"Actually…" Harry shook his head. "We were hoping for something a little more…er… unique?"

"A unique, you say? Wella then!" Ollie danced about them. "What are your talents?"

"I'm… a Seeker?"

"And I'm a Keeper, but…"

"No no no, Quidditch is overdone. Nota unique."

"How about a… uh.. Harry… what're those muggles called that fix teeth? You know, like Hermione's parents?"

"Dentists."

"Oh! A muggle costume! Thata is unique! A dentist… yes…" Ollie ran about, gathering and collecting until he had an armful of costume and handed it to Ron. "Goa try on." Ron took the pile and headed into one of the dressing rooms off to the side while Ollie went back to work at Harry. "Do you not have any other unique talents or a girl you want to impress?"

"Er…"

"Wella, I shall just have to make due. Letta me see… ah!" Ollie ran about as he had before, gathering and then dumping what he'd gathered in Harry's arms. "Goa try on." Harry nodded and hurried into the dressing room, wishing to be away from the crazy little wizard for a few minutes. He stripped off his clothes and tugged on what Ollie had given him. He blinked looking in the mirror and then stepped out of the dressing room.

"A lion?"

"You wear Gryffindor colors, do you not?"

"Yeah…" Harry nodded and then shrugged. It was better than nothing. And he'd be wearing a mask anyway. "I like it."

"Hakuna Matata!"

"Huh?" Before Ollie could answer Ron came out of his dressing room wearing toothpaste green scrubs and a face mask as a hat.

"Ron, that goes over your mouth." Ron brought the mask downwards and blinked.

"Are you sure? Cause I tried it this way before, but it just looks silly."Ron grimaced behind the mask and Harry laughed, thinking that wearing the mask as a hat had looked even sillier. "Woah, mate! Cool! You're a lion!"

"Yeah, I noticed." Harry grinned. "Roar. I think we're good." He went back into the dressing room and changed quickly, following Ollie over to the counter to be rung up. He paid for his costume and Ron came out carrying his, still wearing the face mask. Harry blinked.

"It keeps my nose warm." Ron dropped his costume on the counter and paid for it. Ollie handed him a little case of dental tools and Ron stared at them in horror. "They put little sharp hooks IN your mouth!"

"It doesn't hurt…"

"That's what they want you to think. Merlin, muggles are strange torturous beings…" He paid took his bag and he and Harry thanked Ollie before headed back out into the cool October air. Ron took off his mask, not wanting any of the others to see it yet and he and Harry headed towards the Three Broomsticks. He and Ron got Butterbeers and found a were soon joined by Neville Longbottom who was beaming with pride.

"I just got my costume for the ball."

"Cool, what is it?"

"A tentacula."

"That thing that's always trying to take a bite out of Sprout?"

"Yeah." Neville beamed proudly and then waved an arm. "Over here!" They were shortly joined by the Marauders who , laughing, had loaded up on pranks from Zonkos and managed to find costumes as well, though none of them would say what they would be going as, no matter the amount of prodding. Eventually, the day started to get later, and the boys decided it was time to be getting back up to the castle. They were about to head out when the screaming started. McGonagall came running into the Three Broomsticks. "Death Eaters! Everyone needs to disapparate now! Where are my students!" She rushed around the panicked bar, grabbing every Hogwarts student she came past, ushering them towards the fire place where Madame Rosmerta was giving out handfuls of Floor Powder. Harry joined the throng of students with the boys while they watched the full streets outside teeming with screaming wizards and witches and masked beings.

"Evans!" James suddenly shouted and bolted for the door, wand drawn. Seeming to realize something, Ron drew his wand as well and took off after him, McGonagall shouting after both of them to come back. Harry blinked and then realized it as well… Hermione… He started to go after Ron and James, but McGonagall grabbed him around the middle. Harry struggled.

"I have to go help them! I have to make sure…"

"Potter! No. You are going back to the school with everyone else, if your friends…. They'll be sheparded there as well. Now come along!"

"No! Professor… I can't lose them again!" Harry shouted and got loose, bolting for the door. Behind him he heard someone cry 'Petrificus Totalus!" and his entire body went rigid. McGonagall grabbed him and dragged him over to the fireplace with the help of Sirius and Remus.

"I'm sorry, Potter, but it's for your own safety." Harry blinked as he was hefted into the fireplace and Remus got in beside him to help hold him up. McGonagall said the countercurse to her spell, and Remus shouted.

"HOGWARTS!" The world spun out of control.

* * *

Hah! Cliffhanger. Sort of. ^_^ Thanks for reading, and as always, please review, I enjoy them.

Laters,

S.Q.O


	13. Of Fear and Hospital Wings

Disclaimer: Thirteen chapters and you'd think we'd have figured it out by now. My plot, JK Rowling's everything else.

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**Future of the Past**

**_Chapter Thirteen: Of Fear and Hospital Wings_**

Harry gasped as his feet hit the floor and he fell forward out of the fireplace and directly into the Great Hall. He looked around and was greatly reminded up the atrium at the Ministry. The walls had fireplaces lining them, students popping out of them every few seconds, spewing into the room and going to their respective tables, all talking loudly about what was going on down in Hogsmeade. Harry felt the crowd behind him ushering him forward and he and Remus made their way to the Gryffindor table, taking seats. Frightened, pale faces surrounded them from every angle and Harry clutched the knot in his stomach… the one that said he should be down helping Ron and James get to Hermione and Lily before a Death Eater did. Harry's only consolation so far, was that his parents were alive still, since he hadn't disappeared. At least he'd know if something happened to one of them… if anything happened to Ron or Hermione… he wouldn't. His stomach gave a particularly nasty churn and he closed his mouth tightly, feeling very much like puking.

Harry turned his head to look up at the staff table, only to find it empty. As he gazed about the rest of the room, he could spot a bit of color here and there among the students, indicating a professor. He saw no sign of Dumbledore, McGonagall, or Snape, but he guessed they were probably off gathering the remaining stragglers in Hogsmeade as well as trying to defend the villagers… well… at least he knew Dumbledore and McGonagall would be, who knew when it came to Snape.

The noise in the Great Hall was loud… frightened, especially the younger students who hadn't even been in Hogsmeade. Girls were crying, boys were swearing, and someone would shout every few seconds, calling out the name of a friend or sibling, either having found them, or looking for them still. Harry's eyes were glued to the fireplaces, scanning them, waiting for a familiar shock of red or an overly puffy mass of brown hair to appear.

A strangled scream erupted from one corner and just about everyone's eyes were redirected in that direction as a figure cloaked all in black stepped out of one of the fireplaces. At first, Harry's instinct was to stand on the table and stupify the person, because they clearly resembled a Death Eater, but then Snape's familiar voice caught him off guard. "Get out of the way! Clear a path! Anyone blocking me will lose fifty points and earn a detention!" Students parted and as Snape made his way through the mass of black, Harry noted he was walking backwards, and trailing behind him on a floating stretcher was…

"Dad!" Harry climbed onto the table and ran down it to catch up with Snape, glad that no one but Remus and then Sirius who had come out of nowhere, Harry must have missed him coming out of the fireplace… he'd been right behind them, was paying attention to his outburst. The other two boys had decided Harry had the best idea of getting through the ocean of students quickly and were soon at his heels on top of the long table. When they reached the end they jumped and followed after Snape who was maneuvering James's limp body out of the Great Hall and towards the Hospital Wing. They caught up with him, noting that the Entrance hall was pretty empty compared to the Great Hall. Snape seemed to notice them, but did not mention their presence as they flocked by the sides of the stretcher. Up close, James's nose was dripping blood everywhere and his leg was at a very strange angle.

The Hospital Wing was teeming with students who had been caught up in the cross fire and Madame Promfrey was running here, there, and everywhere giving out dosages of potions, flicking her wand, healing all their injuries. Professor Flitwick was with her, helping the best he could. Madame Promfrey was looking harried and she finally ushered flitwick towards the door. "Anyone who can stand or hasn't broken anything, Professor Flitwick will tend to you in the hallway! We need beds for those with more serious injuries! Oh Professor!" She turned as Snape sailed the stretcher in and then levitated James onto one of the empty beds. The nurse made her way over and quickly gave James a go over. "Broken leg, broken nose, concussion… couple hours rest and he'll be…"

"Li…ly…" James mumbled, his eyes flickering and then opening. He moved to rise from the bed and Madame Promfrey promptly pushed him back down. He glared at her. "Lily...I have to…"

"No. You have to rest here. You'll be of no use to anyone until you're healed." But James ignored her, his eyes searching until they found Harry's face and locked there, slightly glazed. Harry stared back as James seemed to be trying to muster up something.

"Lily… Honeyduke's… sooo many Death Eaters…" James's eyes moved to his best mate and he stared at him hard. "Sirius… the hag…" Harry had turned and started running before his brain could fully send the message to his conscious thought as to what he was going to do. It hit him as he got out of the Hospital Wing that James was talking about the statue of the hag… the one that would open for him… the one with the path to the basement of Honeyduke's. He was halfway there before he realized there were footsteps pounding the stone behind him and he turned his head slightly to find Sirius right behind him. He nodded at the other boy who nodded back and they turned the corner together, bolting up one flight of stairs and then down a very narrow corridor until they finally reached the statue. Sirius tapped the top with his wand and as soon as the hump was open, Harry hoisted himself up and into it, flying down the familiar shoot, shouting 'LUMOS!' as he went. He landed hard at the bottom and stood up, moving out of the way just in time before Sirius too, hit the floor. Without a word, they started running again, neither tired, the rush of pure adrenaline driving them forward towards their goal.

If his first time walking down the tunnel had seemed long, it was nothing compared to doing it at a full sprint with longer legs. Harry felt they would never get there, and yet he knew, that time was only slowing down, making it last longer than it really was, because they needed to get to the end so badly. It was the ultimate load off of his shoulders when they finally reached the wooden stairs that led to the secret trap door in the candy store's cellar.

His relief was short lived. Fear erupted in Harry's being as he heard the screams of terror upstairs and the cruel laughter of Death Eaters, obviously enjoying their time in Hogsmeade. Harry looked at Sirius who nodded and they both headed up the stairs and pushed open the trapped door with one big heave. Luckily, no one was in the cellar, and they were able to put the trap door back in place, lest some Death Eater discover it, and then they raced up the stairs and out into the back of the shop. From there they could see the entirety of the small candy shop and it's inhabitants. One Death Eater was shoving his pockets full of sweets while two more had a red faced, threatening Ron tied to a pale, but stone strong Hermione and a very unconscious looking Lily was laying on the floor at their feet.

"Stop? Why would I stop when it's so much fun! Here, watch this! Crucio!" The taller of the three Death Eaters pointed his wand at Lily and laughed as her body writhed on the floor.

"Stop it!" Hermione cried out, struggling against her bonds. "She's not even conscious, you coward!"

"Oh, coward am I? I suppose it's your turn then, eh girlie? Since you're still awake?" The Death Eater moved his wand upwards and Ron rolled his entire body and Hermione's at the man's legs, knocking him over.

"Don't you touch her you bloody arse!"

The Death Eater got to his feet and reached towards Ron. He raised his wand…. Harry bolted foreward… "Avada-…" Harry's shoulder slammed into the Death Eater's back and he sent him flying towards the floor, his spell unfinished. Harry heard Sirius shout 'Stupify!' from somewhere nearby and Hermione screamed "Harry!"

Harry turned around quickly and raised his wand, sending his own stunning spell at the Death Eater who was coming towards him The Death Eater went falling, slamming into the ceiling high glass tubes full of jelly beans, causing them to break and crash down all over the place. As the jelly beans scattered the floor, Sirius took out the last Death Eater and rushed to help Harry untie Ron and Hermione.

"Hurry! More might come… with all this racket I wouldn't be surprised." Hermione gasped as her wrists were freed. Harry dropped to his knees and scooped up Lily, teetering slightly as he made his way towards the fireplace. "

"D'you guys see any floo powder anywhere?"

"No, let's just go back the way we came…"

"We'll never get her up the shoot!"

"Harry! Are you a wizard or not? Honestly, we can just levitate her up, now let's go!" Sirius prodded him in the back with his wand and the group turned to make their way down into the cellar. The jingle of the bell on the door to the shop had them all freezing in their tracks.

"And just where, might I ask, do you think you're going, Potter?" Harry spun around and found himself standing face to face with a Death Eater. He recognized the man's voice, but could not quite place it as to exactly whom it belonged to.

"Home, you?" Harry gripped his wand tightly, ready to set Lily down and strike if need be.

"I don't think so." The Death Eater raised his own wand, but Hermione was faster. Harry heard her voice behind him, saw the streak of red that was the stunning spell hit the Death Eater straight in the chest. He toppled backwards and landed on his fellows. The gang took off running, heading into the back of the shop… the bell on the door rang again… they trampled down the stairs into the cellar, pried up the trap door and started down the stairs. They had just shut the trap door over themselves when they heard footsteps echoing on the floor above them.

"Where did they go? They came back here!"

"They gots to be hiding here someplace, start looking." Loud scraping sounds joined the footsteps and Harry could imagine the Death Eaters pushing around the crates of candies, hopefully right over the trap door. Quietly as possible, the group slowly went down the stairs, waiting for eachother when they reached the bottom of it. They could still hear the Death Eaters above them and Harry looked at Hermione, whispering.

"We have to get rid of the stairs…" Hermione nodded and raised her wand again.

"Diffindo!" Harry watched with a smile as the stairs noiselessly disintegrated into dust and Hermione beamed back at him. Feeling safer now that the Death Eaters would have to fall to their deaths in order to follow them if they found the trap door, our heroes made their way quickly as possible back down the tunnel and to the shoot that would lead them up and out of the humped hag's back once more. When they reached the end, the shoot had turned into a set of stairs itself, a fact that Harry had forgotten in his panic to escape. He led the other's up them, feeling relieved now that he knew his best friends and mother were safely away from the Death Eaters.

Sirius pressed the hag's hump open when they reached it, and they pressed their way out, one by one, into the still empty corridor. Once out, it was only then that Harry realized that Ron's robes were torn to a point where they were hanging off his body in a nearly obscene fashion and that Hermione was nursing her left arm gingerly. Harry looked down at Lily, she was still out, but appeared to be otherwise uninjured. At least all of their hearts were beating.

When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, the amount of students needing healing had diminished greatly. Only a few remained outside with Flitwick, getting the simple things, such as cuts that would require stitches in the Muggle world, fixed.

"What are you doing, Hermione? Promfrey should look at your arm." Harry blinked, turning his head to look at his best friends. Hermione had started in the opposite direction.

"It's just sprained. I need to check on Ginny…"

"Bloody hell it's sprained." Ron stepped foreward, grabbing Hermione's sleeve and gently shoving it upwards as Hermione winced and tried to pull away. Harry grimaced as Hermione's arm came into view. It was bruised, swollen, and not nearly as straight as it should have been. It was a marvel that she wasn't crying. "Ginny's fine. I already saw her come back, but you need to come to the Hospital Wing with the rest of us."

"I can heal it myself, Ronald. Madame Promfrey's already got enough to do…"

"Not happening." Harry watched as Ron grabbed Hermione around the waist, hoisted her off the ground, and pushed past him into the Hospital Wing. Harry blinked, remembered that he was still holding Lily and carried her in as well, setting her down on the empty bed beside James's. His father stirred, his eyes moving to lock onto his mother's face and he watched as all the stiffness in James's body disappeared.

"She's ok." He whispered and reached a hand out to grasp at Lily's. He let his head fall back onto his pillow and he closed his eyes, at ease enough to sleep now. Madame Promfrey scurried over to give Lily a go over, checking her quickly and routinely.

"Promfrey gave him a sleeping draft right after you left." Remus stated from his place beside James's bed. "But he refused to be knocked out… it's some amazing willpower. What happened?"

Harry, with Sirius's help, quickly recounted their race to Honeydukes and their fight with the Death Eaters.

"Honestly, it was too easy. It was like they weren't even really trying all that hard." Sirius scoffed. "If all Death Eaters are that easy to knock out, I can't understand how You-Know-Who is able to still stand."

"Those were some of his less skilled followers…" Harry nodded as he finally remembered the voice of the man who had seen them last. "He must have sent the ones he doesn't really need after Hogsmeade. Though I can't see why. Unless he's using his inner circle to infiltrate the actual castle."

"Except Hogwarts is an impenetrable fortress. We have Dumbledore and all those spells…"

"Yeah. We're lucky. But what about Hogsmeade? All those people... and how is it that the Death Eaters can't just Floo here like us?"

"Because, it's one of the enchantments." Hermione spoke up from her place on the foot of Lily's bed where Madame Promfrey was tapping her arm with her wand and muttering to herself. "Hogwarts, A History clearly states that there is a list and if you're name isn't on it, you'll pass right by the Hogwarts fireplaces and go straight on to the next one before you even knew what happened. The only people always on the list are students and teachers, visitors have to have permission of the Headmaster and have their name put on the Floo list to get here via fireplace. Ow!" Hermione winced as Madame Promfrey straightened out her arm and tapped it with her wand. The others watched at it slid back into a normal looking shape, through it was still bruised. Madame Promfrey nodded her approval.

"You'lll heal up in no time."

"And what about L-..Sage?" Hermione inquired, looking down at the other girl with concern.

"Lily," Madame Promfrey corrected, looking at them all knowingly. Obviously she had been let in on the secret, like the rest of the professors had. "Will live. She might have some traumatizing dreams, but she's otherwise fine."

"Ron!" Ginny came barreling in through the doors and hurled herself at her older brother, pale as a ghost. "I thought you'd gone and gotten yourself killed! When Parvati Patil said you were up here…"

"Calm down, Gin, I'm fine." Ron rolled his eyes but gave his sister a one armed squeeze and then ruffled her hair. Ginny didn't shed a tear, but the panic that she'd felt was clear in her sparkling brown eyes. She didn't even through off Ron's arm or whack him for ruffling her. She just grasped onto his hand tightly, reassuring herself that he was still there. Harry felt the strong urge to hug her as well, but kept that to himself.

"Death eaters! In Hogsmeade! I can't believe it." Ginny gave voice to what they were all thinking but weren't quite sure how to say. "D'you think You-Know-Who is with them?"

"No." Harry stated this firmly, shaking his head. "He's not anywhere near here." He reached a hand on and rested it on Ginny's shoulder. "I promise."

"But how can you be so sure?" Harry ran a hand over his forehead and back through his hair with a sigh.

"Built in Voldemort detector." He watched at Remus and Sirius looked at him confusedly but said nothing. Harry sighed, hoping he would never have to answer their questions on that one. To admit to them that his parents were gone would probably be the worst thing he could do. They'd want to prevent it… and as much as Harry wished that were so, it would completely disrupt the world as he knew it. So, instead of answering their questioning looks, he just smiled. "What d'you say we leave these guys to rest and go join the rest of the school?" Harry started for the door, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Remus followed after him, but Sirius remained.

"Sirius?

"I think I'm going to keep an eye on James. Let me know if anything cool happens." Harry nodded, and with that, he and the others left.

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There you go. ^_^ Another one. YAY! Read it, enjoy it, review it (if you would like too, they help increase my desire to continue)!

As always,

Laters,

S.Q.O


	14. The Great Hospital Wing Battle

Disclaimer: Yep. Just clarifying it AGAIN, not my characters.

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**The Future of the Past**

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

**_The Great Hospital Wing Battle_**

Back down in the Great Hall, Harry and the others joined the rest of the school that wasn't currently occupied in the Hospital Wing. Taking their seat at Gryffindor table, they made it just in time for Dumbledore to rise and wave his arms for everyone to stop talking. His voice echoed throughout the large hall, every eye upon him, every ear listening intently.

"It is my deepest regret, to inform you that yes, there were Death Eaters in Hogsmeade. We have sent letters to all of your parents to let them know of this occurrence, and that you are all perfectly safe but some of you may end up expecting visits, for which we are prepared. Should any of you need someone to speak to, your Heads of House are available, as well as your other professors. Now, it is suggested, that you make your way back to your houses for the rest of the evening. Anyone found outside their house will be given detention unless they have a note from their Head of House. Dinner shall be served in your houses at seven. May you all have a restful night and pleasant dreams."

Harry and the others rose from the benches of the Gryffindor table as talk burst out. "Why d'you think we have to stay in our houses?" Ron inquired, looking about the Hall as though anyone might answer his question. Hermione reached her hand out to place it on his shoulder.

"Because, they'll want to do a head count to make sure we're all here. That'll be easier if they don't have so many people in one room. " The students around them, hearing this, did as they were told, heading towards the common room while the rest of the students, who hadn't figured this out already, were griping about not being able to have Quidditch Practice, or Gobstones club and whatever else they had wanted to do tonight.

Once the Gryffindor Common room was full, McGonagall came in trough the portrait hole and peered around , her expression grave. She was followed by the Astronomy teacher who kept her mouth tight lipped.

"I want all of you to proceed to your respective dorms for the time being so that Professor Sinistra and I can take attendance in an orderly fashion. Once we''ve come to your room, you may come back down to the common room for dinner. If you wish to leave the tower, I will be here for an hour after attendance is finished." Harry, Ron, and Remus headed up the boys' stairs with the rest of the male Gryffindors, all making their way into their dorms as McGongall had told them to. It was the way she had said it, so sternly and with a slight tinge of fear that she might be missing one of them, that kept any of them from complaining.

"So… Death Eaters… wow." Ron pushed through their door and the boys gathered gathered on Remus's bed which was currently the one in the very center of the room. "D'you think they knew it was a Hogsmeade weekend?"

"Well, it couldn't have been much of a coincidence." Remus twirls his wand between his fingers before he pocketed it and the door opened to reveal a very harried looking McGongall. The boys got up off the bed.

"Evans, Finnigan, Longbottom, Potter, Thomas, Weasley… where are Porter and Barkley?" Harry thought he saw something resembling fear flash across McGongall's eyes so he quickly spoke up.

"They're down in the Hospital Wing Professor, they're ok." McGongall nodding, scribbling on a scroll of parchment that Harry guessed must contain every single Gryffindor's name.

"You all can head down to the common room for dinner now." The boys quickly dispersed from the dorm, tromping down the stairs to join the other Gryffindors in grabbing plates from a table set up quite like a buffet line. Harry and Ron went to sit by Hermione on one of the couches while Remus went to speak to McGonagall about getting himself a pass to go see the others down in the Hospital Wing. He was the only Marauder currently not down there after all. Harry crammed a couple spoonfuls of potatoes down his throat and then took off at Remus.

"Professor, can we….?" Remus began but McGongall cut him off by handing him a slip of parchment.

"I expect you back to the tower before midnight." Harry and Remus nodded their thanks and took off out of the common room and down the stairs and hallways to the Hospital Wing. When they pushed through the double doors, Harry stopped in his tracks, relief filling his body as he took in probably one of the most amusing sights he would ever see.

James and Lily were both awake and had apparently regained their energy judging by the absolute chaos they were currently causing. Mattresses had been taken off of the beds and stood up lengthwise across the floor, forming what Harry realized must be some sort of strange barricade. James was on the far end of the room while Lily was on the other, mattress rows between them as they shot what looked to be colorful, palm sized, pulsating fruits at one another using both their hands and wands. James levitated a blue fuirty thingamajig and shot it towards Lily, dropping the spell and letting it crash down on her head, covering her in a sticky, opaque blue liquid that oozed down her hair and face in a syrupy like manner. Lily gave a battle cry and pegged a pink fruit back at him, whacking him square in the chest as it erupted. Both of them were already covered from head to toe in sticky ick as it was.

"I'm going to KILL you, Potter!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

Remus's eyes widened and he put his arm up over his head as he barreled through the war zone. "STOP! STOP! THE BOTH OF YOU! STOPPIT! Oh, if Madame Promfrey could see the two of you…" He made a beeline for James and turned his head. "You get Lils!" Harry nodded and tore after him, dodging the fruit grenades as he went, through not quite as well as he would have wished. A green fruit slammed into his cheek and he went down, slipping on the sticky-slick floor. He spotted a purple one coming just in time to drop to his belly. Deciding this was his best plan for avoiding becoming covered in the disgusting goo, he shimmied himself through the maze of mattresses, following the tell tale flicker of red hair… wait… He blinked. Red hair? That meant Lily must have been changed back to her true appearance… If anyone saw… well… he just hoped so one would see.

Giving himself a hard push off of a wall, Harry penguin slid himself straight into his mother's legs and pulled her down as he went up, restraining her by the arms as she continued to shout in James's general direction.

"YOU BLOODY ARSE!"

Harry watched as Remus got a hold of James, causing the black haired boy to drop the fruit in his hands. Harry was just about to ask what was going on when the door slammed open and Madame Promfrey came barreling into the door.

"Just what in the devil has been going on here! I leave you alone for ten minutes, TEN MINUTES, and come back to find you've completely and utterly destroyed my infirmary! Oh, you just wait until the Headmaster hears about this! You just wait!"

"She started it!"

"No, I bloody well did not! You're the one who started it Potter!"

"You did! You completely overacted!"

"Overeacted?_ I_ overeacted!"

"Damn straight!" Lily made to lunge but Harry locked his grip on her waist while she kicked and tore at his arms to free herself. He lifted her off the floor and dropped her to the bed, and then did the only thing he could think of to keep her from attacking James any further, he sat on her. She continued to kick and wriggled beneath him, but he managed to keep her down now.

"Overeacted to what?" Remus asked, letting go of James, having deciding that it was Lily they needed to worry about doing any of the attacking at this point. James sat down on the one bed that hadn't been used to make a barricade and glared. He opened his mouth to speak when a voice from above did it for them.

"Romeo decided to be stupid and kiss her while she was sleeping. Unfortunately, she woke up mid-smooch." Everyone's eyes were averted to the center of the ceiling. Hanging by his underpants twenty feet above the floor from the grand chandelier that lit the Hospital Wing, was Sirius. He seemed a bit disgruntled with his current predicament, though not exactly too extremely fussed either.

"How'd you get up there, Padfoot?" Remus covered his mouth, hiding what Harry could tell was a chuckle because he has to strong urge to laugh himself.

"Got caught in the crossfire. I tried to stop her from murdering him… I was going to put a blocking charm between the two of them when she knocked my wand out of my hand and levitated me up here. Though, I did get a really nice view of the fight, but..."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "But…?"

"But I've got a killer wedgie." Sirius wriggled around in the air, grimacing as he pulled at his hide quarters, probably attempting to dewedgie himself.

"Well then. Since you two were capable of making this mess, I should think you'll be well enough to clean it up and then get out of my infirmary. No magic. Potter that side, Evans this side, and god forbid should either of you even so much as remotely begin to think about starting your foolish quarrel up again, or I will see to it that you are both suspended from the school for a whole week WITH detentions to follow, no matter what time you're in!"

"But he…!"

"But she..!"

"GET TO WORK! And the rest of you, get out of my infirmary before I call Dumbledore down here to deal with you."

"Yes'm." Harry and Remus quickly made their way out of the Hospital Wing doors, not wishing to face the wraith of an irritated Madame Promfrey.

"Hey! What about me!" Sirius called after them from the ceiling, wriggling about. At that moment, his underpants finally gave way, and with a loud RRRRRRIP! tore straight through, sending Sirius to fall and land quite safely on a mattress that got knocked down beneath him as he hit it square on.

"Are you alright Black?" Promfrey inquired, stepping over a pile of goop on the floor to get to him.

"Oooooh… I think I broke my arse! Will you kiss it better?" Sirius waggled his eyebrows at her, and the look she gave him next had him bolting from the mattress and out of the infirmary faster than a garden gmone back to the Weasley's garden. Harry and Remus burst out laughing as Sirius tried to look dignified as he waddled his way down the corridor.

"You really shouldn't've tempted her y'know." Remus grinned as they watched Sirius spin around in a circle and try to pull his underwear away from his hind quarters, looking very much like a dog chasing it's tail.

"No, really guys, I think I've broken my arse." Sirius finally gave up on getting a hold of his backside and undid his pants. He yanked them downwards in an unabashed fashion that made both Harry and Remus glad that he was at least covered by his robes. "Aaaaaah…. Muuuuch better." Sirius wiggled his butt about, tossed his pants over his shoulder and proceeded to skip the rest of the way back to Gryffindor tower. Remus and Harry followed after him, the former amused, the latter raising an eyebrow at his godfather's antics.

Upon arrival of the Common Room, Sirius jumped up on a table, threw his pants into the air and announced with great trepidation that he was King of Wedgies and should anyone like to be his Queen, he could show her a thing or two about following his current fashion state. Upon which, McGongall gave his detention, not for being pantsless, but for his inappropriate sexual innuendo.

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Hey mateys! I hope you enoyed this chappie and I will post another asap. Please reveiw if you would like to, I enjoy and appreciate all of them very much.

Later loves,

S.Q.O.


	15. Of Getting Ready and BRAINS!

Disclaimer: Again. Same thing. If you haven't gotten it by now, you're dull.

I'm sorry it's taken over a month. *face* You know, holidays and such.

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**The Future of the Past**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**_Getting Ready_**

"We're goin to a baaaaaaaall!" Lily squealed as she flew herself about the girl's dormitory. The previous week's fiasco of the Death Eaters intruding upon the lives of Hogsmeade village had had the students in quite a state of terror even though the Death Eaters had been chased out quickly. But that terror had been pushed to the back of their minds by the prospect of tonight. It was finally Halloween, and in just a short three hours time, the students of Hogwarts would be heading down to the Great Hall dressed in their best costumes. The excitement in the air was as palpable as the tension between Ron and Hermione when they were fighting.

"Would you hold still?" Lavender Brown grabbed hold of Lily's shoulders and pressed her down into the room's vanity stool with quite a bit of force. Lily's appearance had been changed back into that of Sage before her and James's dismissal from the Hospital Wing a few days ago. Lavender's hands went at Lily's currently brown locks quickly, running a comb through them and then taking them up. Hermione poured a good amount of Sleazeky's Hair Smoothing Potion onto her hands, rubbed them together, and began running them through her own hair while Parvati's face screwed up as she tried to tie the sash of her dress back without knotting it badly.

Meanwhile, up in the boy's dorm, James was using quite a bit of hair gel, trying to get his hair back to it's normally messy state as opposed to the smooth blonde locks that he'd been sporting for most of the year. He grumpily ran his hands through it furiously, and then perked up a bit as they stood up in a mess of crazyness… and then depleted. He growled and went back at it as the other boys looked on, not even bothering with getting ready yet.

"You know, James, that Prince Charming has neat hair, right?" Harry asked as his father got dangerously close to the mirror.

"But that's not sexy!" James spun around, throwing his regal sashy shoulder thing over his front. He wore a pair of tight white breeches under a golden tunic and blue jacket trimmed off with golden fringe and crazy round shoulder pads. He gave up on his hair and topped his head with his crown. "Do we have to wear masks? It'll disrupt my appearance."

"You heard McGongall yesterday. No one gets in without a mask."

"Well, aren't you all going to get ready as well?"

"James, we have two and a half hours until…"

"GET READY!" James grabbed Sirius by the collar and pushed him into the bathroom and then slammed the door shut. There was rattling behind the door for a few minutes, and then Sirius pressed his way out of it. Harry snorted and covered his mouth. In a sparkling white jumpsuit that showed off his chest and a cape with a big black wig on his head, it was hard to say who Sirius wasn't.

"I'mma hunka, hunka, burnin' love." He clicked his tongue and shot his fingers at them before pulling an Elvis pose.

"I didn't think pure bloods would know who Elvis was." Harry laughed and picked his own costume up off the floor. He started pulling the one piece outfit on up over his pants.

"He's the only Muggle my mum thinks is decent actually." Sirius shrugged. "Speaking of which, has he made any new music lately?"

"Um…"

"What?"

"Sam…" Harry began, remembering that the Seamus, Dean, and Neville were in the room as well and could not know the secret of the Marauder boys. "Elvis died in the late seventies. Before we were born."

"Oh… Mum musta been devastated. He was almost as dead sexy as I am." Sirius kissed himself in the mirror. Harry stood up and tugged the rest of his costume up. He wriggled to zip of the back and then pulled up the hood that contained his mane. He was glad that Ollie the store clerk had thought to give him a black lion costume instead of a gold one, his hair didn't stick out from under the hood quite so noticeably and his scar was covered. If he was lucky, he could just avoid the whole having girls clamoring over him because of who he was thing. He would have avoided the ball entirely had it not been for James's insistence that they all take part and help him find Lily in his attempt to woo her whilst she was unknowing as to whom he was.

Ron came out of the bathroom dressed in his mint green scrubs and a labcoat which he had place a toothbrush in the front chest pocket of to help indicate his profession. He did not yet have his mask on and was tugging off a pair of rubber gloves. "Screw these things… they're bloody annoying. Like having an extra layer of rubbery skin on. I don't get why anyone would wear them in the first place."

"So they don't get germs from other people's mouths all over them. Not to mention the slobber and some of those rotting teeth…" Dean shuddered. Having been raised by Muggles, he knew perfectly well what a dentist was.

"Yes well, I don't think I'm going to be putting anything in anyone's mouth, ever."

"Not even snogging?" Sirius's head perked up from where he was putting on a pair of white boots that matched his costume. "But that's the best part! And what about bl-"

"Maybe snogging, if I'm lucky tonight." Ron nodded and ran a comb through his hair quickly, wanting to look his best.

"I'm going to put you all in my mouths." Neville laughed, raising his venomous tentaculaed arms. His costume consisted of a very green pair of pants and shirt with sleeves that had big bulbous purple buds at the ends of them. When Neville opened his hands, the buds opened and revealed their two rows of sharp pointy teeth. Neville's head was encased in a similar, but larger bud, the top of his face hidden by a matching purple and toothy mask. He ran at Harry who jumped over his bed and beneath it to avoid being 'eaten'.

"You can't eat me! I'm the bloody king of the jungle!"

"Actually…" Remus stated from his seat on his own bed. "You're king of the savanna, where you would most likely stick out like a sore thumb with your black fur. So you'd probably be on the lower level in the lion hierarchy. King, you are not."

"Which means I can bite and render you defenseless with my poison." Neville grinned and flopped down on Harry's bed on his stomach, dangling his arms down to try and 'poison' Harry who just laughed and batted at Neville's droopy sleeves in amusement.

"I'm still a lion, which means I can kick your ass, plant boy."

Back in the girls dormitory, Lavender had just about had it. She'd gotten halfway finished with Lily's hair only to have Lily get up off the stool again. It seemed the excitement of the ball had made it nearly impossible for her to stay on one place.

"You are not being to be a pretty turtle if you can't sit still for ten minutes!" Lavender stomped her foot in frustration as Lily grabbed hold of Harold and danced around with him until she reached the stool and sat back down. She set Harold, the turtle, down on the vanity and gave his head a little pat. "Though why you actually WANTED to be a turtle in the first place is beyond me. I mean, Harold is adorable and everything, but really? Turtles are just so… so round."

"She wanted to be a Quaffle until she saw the turtle costume." Hermione appeared beside them, running a brush through her own now much more sleek and shining hair. The mirror on the vanity was big enough for all of the girls, something the designers of the dorms had foreseen as being important. Teenage girls fighting over mirror space would not have been at all desirable. "Of course, she wouldn't have seen it unless I brought it to her."

"Bless you." Lavender seemed to feel a bit better, knowing that a fashion crisis had been averted in way of a less fantastical one. Or at least, she seemed to think the idea of a turtle was one. Hermione grinned and once Lily's hair was finished, sat down in the stool so Lavender could do her's. Lily wandered over to her bed and pulled the soft, plush turtle shell on over her pretty green dress, her currently brown hair pulled back in three braids all braided together into one long one that fell over her left shoulder. Lavender gave Hermione's head a more thorough brushing. "Though, I don't quite think I understand why you wanted to be the Quaffle instead."

"I suppose I'm just hoping to be caught." Hermione shrugged as Lavender started weaving the front part of her hair into two small braids which she then pulled to the back of her head.

"Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at it." Lavender giggled and took a bobby pin out of her mouth, locking Hermione's small braids to the top of her head.

"If that's the way you're thinking, then maybe I should have been a Golden Snitch, instead of a princess." Parvati laughed and flopped down on her bed in her towel. She'd just gotten out of the shower and started running a brush through her long dark hair whilst blasting it with hot air from her wand. She would use the mirror once she'd gotten it completely dried. "He may have been a dud of a date at the last ball, but I'm chalking that up to age. He is one dashing Seeker."

"Oh gosh." Hermione made a face and got up off of the stool once Lavender had finished with her hair.

"You like Harry?" Lily inquired, flopping down on her bed with Harold and tucking her legs up under herself.

"Of course I like him! What girl doesn't? He's famous!" Parvati sighed and got up off the bed to get Lavender to help her with her hair. She spun around in the stool, giving a rather girly giggle. "I've also heard he's a bit rich."

"Famous? Why's he famous?" Lily asked, looking quite perplexed. Of course she didn't know this, nobody had told her, nor the Marauders what was going to happen to them in the future. They couldn't know.

"Of course! Have you been living under a rock? Everyone knows that Harry's the one who…."

"Has anyone seen my shoes?" Hermione piped up, purposely knocking into Parvati as she ducked down to peer under the vanity, and therefore, cutting her off.

"Oi! Watch it would you?" Parvati glared at her.

"I've got them!" Lily held up the pair of red dancing slippers that Hermione had placed on her bed not that long ago. Hermione took them from her and slipped them on before pulling the big, round, and very scarlet colored plush body of a giant Quaffle over her head and around her body.

"Sage, why don't we go see how Ginny is doing?"

"Alright then!" The pair of brown haired girls left the room, much to Hermione's relief. That had been way too close of a call.

Back in the boys dormitory, Remus ducked a flying pillow as it soared over his head, threatening to take off his mask. He was dressed in dirty ragged clothing, his skin magicked an ugly shade of green over which he'd rubbed fake blood and dirt. Her arms were outstretched as he went at Seamus and Dean whom had retreated. "!"

"Aim for the head, Seamus! Aim for the head!" Another pillow hit Remus square in the face and he laughed, staggering backwards and tripping over Sirius whom he had already eaten the brains of. He hit the floor with a thud and Sirius got up off of the floor, walking towards the door, his hands outstretched and making gropey motions.

"Bbbbboooooobiiiiiieeeessssss!"

"That's not what zombies want." Neville laughed, chucking his own pillow at Sirius. It hit him in the back of the head and knocked his Elvis wig ascue. "Besides, Elvis isn't a zombie."

"He's dead isn't he? Besides, who needs brains when you can have boobies?" Sirius winked at them all and picked up Neville's pillow, chucking it at Harry who caught it and threw it back to Neville.

"I dunno, I think I kind of like brains." Ron stated absentmindedly, fooling around with his dentist's mask. He'd attached another mask to the top of it to cover the area around his eyes and was making sure it was going to stay in place. Remus rose up off of the floor and headed for him.

"Braaaaaaaaiiiins!"

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Yay! Finally another chapter! Sorry I'm so slow at updating, I do try, but then life happens. So, I'm going to attempt to be better at it. I really am. Reveiw if you wanna, I love them! And if you get bored waiting, you can always read my other stuff on here and fictionpress. I saw this particular chapter in my head as being a short musical called 'Gettin' Ready' in which they sing the song 'Gettin' Ready' which is the number one hit my head has currently created for itself and can't get rid of. I suppose that's why Lily's doing lots of twirling.

Love y'all,

S.Q.O.


	16. Of Balls and Beauties

Disclaimer: Go back to the first fifteen chapters and read what I wrote in the disclaimers there and then you'll know what goes here.

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**The Future of the Past**

**_Chapter Sixteen: Of Balls and Beauties_**

"Get ready for your King, ladies!" Sirius announced as he and the other sixth year Gryffindor boys stepped off of the grand marble staircase in the Entrance Hall to a tittering of girls. Most of them wore pretty dresses and tiaras or short skirted outfits. Sirius went straight for a blonde girl wearing a low cut nurse's uniform and placed his hands against his chest. "Think you can heal this heart of mine, sugar?"

"Hmm… let's see what I can do." The girl giggled and grabbed Sirius by the collar, dragging him into the Great Hall while he gave the other guys the thumbs up and a huge smile.

"I guess we'd better get going." Harry sighed, making to follow after Sirius.

"Do any of you see her?" James stated from up the stairs a ways. He was leaning over the banister anxiously, eyeing a group of princesses who were flaunting themselves about. Someone in a turtle suit and floofy green skirt, their hair and face covered by the hood of the costume, bumped into him and he nearly fell over the banister.

"Oops, sorry!" Said the turtle and James waved a hand over his shoulder, still gazing at the princesses.

"S'ok." The turtle shrugged it off and continued her way down the stairs, followed closely by a Quaffle with brown hair and a Golden Snitch with red. Harry snorted and then coughed to cover up his laughter. He left James and followed the girls into the Great Hall, dragging a hysterical Ron.

The Great Hall had been decorated with it's usual smattering of live bats and Hagrid's giant jack-o-lanterns that looked as though they were also to be serving as tables for the evening with large flat tabletops placed on top of them, their stems acting as the centerpiece. A large space in the middle of the hall had been cleared, the stone smoothed to a black shining dance floor. Purple and green candles flickered from above, casting the entire room with a haunting glow. A great wooden stage complete with band and even more crazy lighting stood where the teacher's normally sat. The whole place was covered in a foot of fog drifting along the floor.

"Hey." The Quaffle spun around, her brown eyes visible through the holes in her mask. She looked confused for a moment before she leaned foreward, peering up under Harry's mask.

"Oh! It's you! You look great!"

"So do you." Harry laughed and made his way for one of the pumpkins, motioning for the others to follow after him. They did and they all took seats around one of the great pumpkin tables.

The dance floor disappeared beneath the bodies of costumed students. Sirius was surrounded by a group of girls who were all vying for his attention and he was managing to give them each a turn out on the floor. Remus was doing a wild impersonation of what appeared to be the Thriller dance, and James was over by the buffet table.

"Either of you want to dance with us?" Hermione asked, looking longingly out at the floor. Ginny jutted out her lower lip in a fake begging pose.

"I er…" Harry faltered. He looked at Ron who looked kind of like a deer caught in a headlight. Neither of them was much for dancing, as they had shown at the last ball Hogwarts had held. Harry looked pointedly at him, nodding to Ginny as discreetly as possible. Ron nodded. "C'mon Ginny." Ginny seemed quite pleased as she stood up and took Harry's hand, dragging him out onto the floor. Hermione and Ron followed quickly after them.

After doing a poor sort of jig for a few minutes, Harry finally got himself to feel the beat by watching Ginny and remembering that nobody knew who the hell he was so they couldn't point at him and laugh. Dancing was actually kind of fun, he had to admit. At least, with Ginny it was. She wasn't dragging him around or trying to get him to waltz, the music as too fast for that. Instead, they just flailed around a lot, like everyone else on the floor pretty much was doing.

"Hey!" Harry turned his head to find James about an inch from his face, holding a platter of what appeared to be cream cheese filled pastry wrapped in bacon. "Have you seen her?"

"Yes!" Harry shouted over the music pounding in his ears. "She was…" He pointed in the direction of the table, but the turtle was no longer there. "…what's with the food?"

"Bait." James stated, poking the bacon. "If you see her…"

"I'll try and send her in your direction." Harry nodded as James smiled his thanks and wandered off again, holding the tray above his head so as not to lose it. He spun back around quickly.

"Wait, what's she dressed as?"

"You know that story, the Princess and the Frog?"

"She's the princess?"

"No. Think of it more as the Prince and the Turtle." Harry laughed as knowing dawned on James's face. He smacked himself in the forehead.

"Of course! She's obsessed with that turtle of her's… of course she'd want to… thanks, Harry!" He dashed off again, leaving Harry to his dancing. Ginny giggled and nodded after James.

"He's trying to catch Lily isn't he?"

"Yeah. He's got a platter of bacon covered stuff to do it with. I bet she'll go for it… she was hiding with the bacon under the table during that food fight we had at breakfast that one time."

"She does love her some bacon." Ginny nodded and then pointed in the direction opposite to where James was headed. Harry cocked his head and saw a flash of green before it disappeared again. "But he's going the wrong way."

"Harry!" Harry felt someone grab hold of his sleeve and he spun around to find Remus's green, wide eyed faced inches from his own. "Harry… I have to know… who is that young woman over there? Do you recognize her at all? She doesn't look like a student…" He pointed and Harry followed his gaze.

A woman with mousey brown hair stood off in the corner, her wand clutched tightly in her hand. She wore a green and blue mask on her face and a green dress with a huge fan of colorful feathers coming out of the back.. she had to be a peacock. Remus was right. She was much too uninvolved in the ball to be a student. Harry tugged at Ginny's wing and she turned. He pointed and looked at her inquiringly. "Ginny, isn't that Tonks?"

Ginny's gaze narrowed slightly before she smiled very brightly. "Oh! Yes, it is!" She dashed away in the direction of Tonks.

"So you… you know her?" Remus questioned Harry quite frantically. He grabbed Harry by the shoulders and gave him a little shake. "Pleeeease say you know her…"

"Yeah. She's in the…"

"Can you introduce me?"

"Sure. But don't you think she's a little old for…"

"Harry, age is irrelevant when it comes to matters of the heart. Now, do I look ok?"

"You look like a zombie."

"Oh Merlin, I forgot… I must be scary as hell… she probably…"

"Will like it."

"Will she really?"

"Yeah. C'mon." Harry laughed and dragged Remus by the sleeve, knowing the boy probably didn't really have much control of his knees right now. Harry had been in the same boat last year when it had come to Cho Chang. Ginny and Tonks were chatting animatedly about some of the cooler costumes they'd seen and Remus stopped dead in his tracks when Harry had gotten him about five feet from the two women.

"I can't do it. I…"

"Wotcher, Harry." Tonks gave a small smile and waved. Harry dragged Remus the rest of the way over to her and then let go of him. "Hello, Remus. Nice costume. Looking for some brains?"

"I…" Remus looked dazed and then he looked at Harry. "She knows my…" And then the whites of his eyes were all Harry could see behind the mask and Remus fell backwards, landing hard on the stone floor.

"The whole Order is in of the secret." Tonks explained to Ginny's questioning glance. "I've already met younger Sirius. He was surrounded by a gaggle of girls… and I thought the stories my mother told of him weren't all true."

"Is he alright?" Ginny questioned, looking concernedly down at Remus who was still out cold on the floor.

"He'll be fine." Sirius came charging through the crowd that had begun to gather around the fainted boy. "Oy! Prince Charming! Marauder Code! We've got a number seven!" James appeared from the crowd. He shoved his now half eaten tray of bacon wrapped yumminess into Harry's hands and bent down to grab Remus under one arm while Sirius got the other. The two boys dragged their friend away in the direction of the tables. Harry followed after them.

"Marauder Code seven?"

"Moony made an attempt at talking to a girl and failed." Sirius explained simply, hoisting the now coming to Remus into a chair.

"I pulled a seven, didn't I?"

"It was the peacock, wasn't it?" James asked, dipping his handkerchief into some punch and swabbing at Remus's forehead.

"She's… wonderful." Remus gave a sigh, sinking in his chair as Lily came careening across the floor.

"What happened? Are you ok!" She worriedly grabbed hold of Remus's face, looking him over as best she could with his mask on.

"I'm fine. Just a seven."

"Oh thank goodness." Lily sighed, sitting down in another of the chairs.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met." James conjured up a tulip from his wand and offered it to Lily who took it and gave it a sniff.

"Like hell we haven't." Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "I know who you are, you prat."

"No, you don't. We've never seen each other before in our lives." James prompted, grabbing a snack from the tray Harry still had and offering it up to Lily. She took it and delicately gave it a munch.

"Sure, we haven't." She snorted slightly and nommed away some more on the bacon covered snacks Harry was holding until he had a moment to set the tray down on the table so she could go at it.

"So, Moony…" Sirius waggled his eyebrows and fixed Remus's mask that had gone askew. "Are you going to give it another go?"

"No!" Remus looked terrified, all color draining from his face, making him a pale, pasty shade of green. "How old is she anyway?" He asked, looking up at Harry questioningly.

"I think she's about twenty five…" Harry pondered, trying to remember. "Ginny would know for sure though… she can't be over thirty, but she's not in her early twenties, I know that much."

"So… that'd make her… a good… oh jeez… at least ten years younger than me in real time. But… maybe… is my older counterpart seeing anyone?"

"Not that I know of."

"Good. I've got to go find him and make a suggestion." Remus rose from the table, ran a hand through his hair and marched off on a mission. His friends laughed as he went, knowing that this was either going to blow up in his face, or end well, for which they would be happy.

"Hey! Elvis! I want my turn." A very pouty looking gypsy stated, grabbing hold of Sirius's arm and dragging him out onto the dance floor before he could say a word. He gave his friend's a thumbs up, apparently quite delighted with his current circumstances.

"Harry, will you dance with me?" Lily asked suddenly, looking longingly out at the floor. "I haven't found anyone else to dance with yet… these boys don't seem to appreciate any costume that doesn't show a tone of skin."

"What about me!" James said, slightly outraged.

"I don't dance with toerags." Lily huffed and took Harry's hand, leading him away from a very grumpy James.

"I er… I don't think…" Harry groaned inwardly as the song changed to something slow. Lily grabbed his hands and placed them on the small of her back… well... shell... and then put her's around his neck, hugging onto him tightly. Well… if this wasn't awkward he didn't know what was. He was dancing with his own mother, slow dancing with her! Like a pair of teenagers! Well, they were a pair of teen agers but still, it was beyond crazy. "We really shouldn't." Harry dropped his hands and pushed Lily away slightly. As much as he loved her, dancing with her like this was just way too much.\

"But Harry…" Lily's whole being seemed to droop in disappointed.

"I just… we're not… you know…?"

"I get it." Lily nodded and gave a sigh, moving to sit down in the closet chair.

"But hey, maybe when a fast one comes on ok? Otherwise it's just awkward."

"Why would it be awkward? We're friends, aren't we, Harry?"

"Yeah! But… not that kind of friends." Harry groaned to himself again, really not knowing how to explain this to her without risking her feelings. He loved his mother, he really did, but slow dancing was too much. It made them resemble a couple, and they weren't a couple. They were mother and son.

"It's alright. I think Ginny might've gotten jealous anyway." Lily giggled and reached behind her, swiping one of those bacon clad rolls from the plate of the boy who glared at her for a moment before getting up and walking away.

"Huh? Why would Ginny get jealous? We're just friends as well." Harry frowned.

"Oh, she fancies you. Surely you must of seen that by now."

"When she was younger, yeah. But… she grew out of it."

"Harry, sometimes things aren't what they seem. Take Sev for example. He's a lot nicer once you get to know him. Sure, he may have dabbled in dark arts and turned into a Death Eater for a while, but before all of that, he was a great friend. The kind who always has your back… Like Ron and Hermione have your's." Lily nodded her head, as though her logic made any sense whatsoever. Harry just stared at her like she had somehow grown a second head.

"You're… kind of crazy." Harry said.

"I know." Lily grinned at him and grabbed his hands as the music picked up. Harry couldn't remember much of what happened next. The ball seemed to pass in a blur. The music was loud, and his friends would appear every now and then, but besides watching Lupin dance with Tonks and the fighting match that erupted between James and Lily over who had really spiked the pumpkin juice with firewhiskey (Lily said James did it, James was certain it had been Sirius), Harry couldn't remember the rest of it. Of course… that might have been because he'd been downing pumpkin juice most of the night.

* * *

Yes, this has been sitting in my files for a month waiting to be finished and no, I don't think I finished it very well either. Ran out of ideas there towards the end. Anyways, I wonder what'll happen in the morning when Harry wakes up and discovered he drank all that spiked pumpkin juice? Hmmm... take a guess! Or make a suggestion. Heheh.

Love y'all!

S.Q.O.


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